Namikaze Legend
by Blackwolf501
Summary: Minato never married Kushina, and in a twist of fate married Mikoto Uchiha. The shinobi world is at a brink of war, can a blond boy still be able to save the world and bring the peace that Sage of Six paths dreamed about. Strong/Smart Naruto. NO YAOI/NO HAREM.
1. Twists

**This story is my dream project which I wanted to write for so long and I am finally able to do that. Now for those of you who have read my other stories, they are still going to be updated and are NOT on Hiatus.**

**I have changed certain dimensions in this story.**

**Warning: Many of the logic in this story may not concur with Manga and Kishi's logic so they are my own ideas and theories, please keep that in mind.**

**This story will NOT feature any Sasuke/Sakura/Council/Ino bashing. I'm sure many of you have read enough bash fics. In my opinion bashing reduces the quality of the fic, however there will be a certain character which will be treated a little harshly for a while.**

**One of the important questions which many readers will ask is : Pairings.**

**This question I am not going to answer, you will have to read and find out. Honestly the story is more important rather than pairings in my opinion.**

**English is my second language, and no I don't have a Beta, I will try my best to provide good spelling and grammar. If anyone wants to be a Beta for my story please Pm me and we can discuss it out.**

**Well now that the formalities are done we can start the story. All types of reviews are acceptable, flames and critics are also acceptable. I am not going to lash out on flamers, if your points are valid I will improve them, if not I will simply read them. If you write a flame please leave your reasons.**

**Notice : I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters or plots. They are property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Chapter 1 : Twists.**

The third great ninja war had just ended. No one was really certain how the war had started but it didn't matter. At the end of the war Konoha emerged victorious but not without a price. Countless shinobi died in the war, while many were injured. It was not just Konoha, every village, countries had suffered. Whether it was Rain, Sand, Rock, or any other village, the end result was people lost their precious ones.

In one corner of Red Dragon restaurant, sat a lonely figure. It was night time in Konoha and people were busy with their lives, some were still mourning the loss of their loved ones while others were trying to get over their grief. Overall it was a gloomy atmosphere in the village hidden in the leaves.

The figure sitting in the restaurant was none other than, Minato Namikaze. He was the newly appointed fourth Hokage of Konoha.

Minato's story was quite eventual. He was born in the Namikaze clan, the clan was a very small clan in Konoha and were not quite famous. His parents were shinobi of the village who gave their lives in the Second Great Ninja war.

As a result Minato never got to spend much time with them, time passed and Minato resolved himself to become a shinobi and protect the village just like his parents would have wanted him too.

His dream was to become Hokage someday, his life passed and he made many friends. But his closest friends were his classmates Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki.

Kushina was his best friend since childhood, at first they didn't get along much because of her loud personality but Minato saved her from Kumo shinobi and from there on they became good friends.

But the most important person in Minato's life was Mikoto Uchiha.

He loved Mikoto from the bottom of his heart, she was one of the best students in his class. She was the heiress of the Uchiha clan and as such was a formidable shinobi who excelled in many ninja arts.

He could still remember the day when he met Mikoto.

(Flashback : 10 years ago)

_A blonde boy could be seen practicing throwing kunai in the training area of the acadmey of the village. It was already very late but it didn't matter to the boy._

_Ever since his parent's death, Minato had resolved himself to become a strong shinobi. He was a good student, he was quite good in ninjutsu and Taijutsu. One of his unique traits was he was skilled in Fuinjutsu, which didn't go unnoticed by the third Hokage of Konoha who was taking special interest in training Minato in Fuinjutsu._

_Minato's friend Kushina Uzumaki was also helping him in learning that art._

_However there was one thing in which he didn't have much skill and that was Shurikenjutsu. He was pretty much average in that art and as such wanted to improve himself._

_He had been practicing since the past 1 hour but was not getting much results._

_"Try to loosen your hands and calm yourself down." said a soft female voice._

_Minato turned around and saw it was none other than Mikoto Uchiha._

_She had jet black hair that reached up to her back, had dark black eyes like the rest of her clan. She was fair skinned and had two large bangs falling on her face. She was wearing a dark blue tshirt with the Uchiha crest on its back and black shorts._

_Minato gave a smile in return to Mikoto. They were casual friends in the class. _

_Mikoto was different than the rest of her clan, she was kind, caring and compassionate to others, even to civilian children. However she was also strict and firm on becoming a formidable Kunoichi._

_Minato admired her for her strength and determination, she was one of the best students in the class._

_"Good to see you Mikoto, but what are you doing here?" asked Minato curiously_

_Mikoto looked at Minato and smiled. She liked Minato a lot, he was not like most of the boys who would just boast about how great they were. He was a good student and held the Kunoichi's as equals and she liked that a lot. Though she hadn't spent much time with him but she considered him a friend._

_Her life in her clan was quite strict. The Uchiha were a clan that followed traditions to the book, many times their pride and ego got in the way. Mikoto had to shoulder a lot of responsibilites as she was the clan heir. How she wished to be spoiled like her younger brother Shishui._

_"I was just helping Taji-sensei in finishing some of his paperwork. I saw you here and got curious so I came here. Do you need some help?" asked Mikoto softly with a smile_

_"Yeah...well I would like if you could give me some pointers." said Minato sheepishly and scratched the back of his head._

_Mikoto chuckled on seeing this, Minato was always a little silly but she liked that._

_"Sure just follow what I do." instructed Mikoto seriously_

_"Arigatou." said Minato happily_

_This was how a great friendship between Minato and Mikoto was born._

(Flashback end)

A large smile appeared on Minato's face as he remembered that memory.

Ever since then he and Mikoto got closer, it was her and Kushina who had helped him in improving their skills. The trio had graduated at the top of the class.

Their bonds became a lot more stronger when they were made a genin team under the legendary Sannin, Jiraya.. From there Minato's love for Mikoto grew stronger with each passing day. However he wasn't an idiot too, he knew the Uchiha didn't allow any outsider to marry a member of their clan, less the clan heiress. As a result he was never able to admit his love for Mikoto.

Time passed and the three friends quickly became chunin. Minato advanced quickly and was made a Jounin. The third great ninja war had started and Minato and his genin team were sent to different fronts to fight. While Kushina and Mikoto had different assignments.

Minato lost many friends in the war and one of his students Obtio Uchiha. He was also different from the rest of his clan like Mikoto, his personality was similar to Kushina and he shared Minato's dream of becoming Hokage. Minato was deeply saddened by his sudden death.

Despite the turmoil of his feelings, Minato led Konoha to victory through his skills. The most deadly being his Hirashin, his teleportation technique based on the Second Hokage's jutsu.

Due to his heroic efforts, bravery and wisdom, he was chosen at the fourth Hokage of Konoha. He had finally achieved his dream but still he wasn't able to tell Mikoto about his feelings for her.

As if someone had heard his thoughts he heard a voice call him.

"Why's the great fourth Hokage of Konoha sitting alone?" asked a soft familiar voice.

Minato looked up and saw it was his love Mikoto. She had become quite strong and beautiful in the past decade. Her jet black hair now reached up to her back, her eyes were more brighter than before and her sharingan eyes made her look more sexy and dangerous. She had C-cup breasts and a slim body.

She was a formidable Jounin of the village.

"Finally got time to see me Mikoto-_sama_?" joked Minato

"Is that how you greet me. Its been so long since we've seen each other, I thought you forgot about me. I'm hurt." said Mikoto with a pout.

Minato chuckled on seeing this, Mikoto just looked so much adorable. He signaled her to sit with him which she gladly accepted.

Mikoto then noticed Minato was a little sad. This hurt her a lot, she really liked Minato, for her he was a person with whom she would like to spend her entire life. She secretly loved Minato but since he had never mentioned about his feelings she hadn't confessed her feelings for him yet.

"Are you okay?" asked Mikoto warmly and put her hands on Minato's hands.

"Somewhat, we have lost so many friends and loved ones. I just cannot believe I lost Obito too." said Minato sadly

"I know, he was the joy of my clan, I wished he was alive now. I wish Rin didn't die too, she was such a nice girl. How is Kakashi doing?" asked Mikoto sadly. She had met Minato's genin team many times and quite frankly she liked those kids.

"He is holding up fine, however Rin's loss has shaken him a lot. This war has costed us a lot." said Minato solemnly

"I'm always there for you Minato. You can always talk to me." said Mikoto gently and caressed Minato's cheeks affectionately

Minato felt a warm sensation in his gut, when he felt Mikoto touching his cheeks. He looked at her beautiful face, one of the things he had learned from the war and Obito's death was their life was short.

He then made up his mind, he knew his life was short as a shinobi and he didn't want to die without confessing his feelings for Mikoto. Even if she didn't love him, he would always love her.

"Mikoto, I want to say something." said Minato carefully

"What is it?" asked Mikoto curiously

She just felt that it was going to be something very important that may change her life.

"I..I love you" said Minato with a warm smile

"What?" asked a shocked Mikoto

''I have loved you since long. You are my friend, comrade, you were always there for me. You took care of me, there is no other women in this village or the entire world whom I love more than you." confessed Minato honestly

"I.."

"Its okay if you don't have any feelings for me, I understand. But I will always love you and be there for you." said Minato with a wide smile

He was quite surprised when he was grabbed by his collar and before he could think of what was happening he felt someone's lips kissing him. He looked carefully and saw it was MIKOTO who was kissing him.

Many emotions were running through his mind : Happiness, passion, confusion, love and many more.

He didn't know what overcame him but he kissed her back more passionately. For the people in the restaurant it was one of the most shocking scenes they had ever scene.

Their beloved fourth Hokage was kissing the heiress of the Uchiha clan.

Many women were glaring at Mikoto for trying to steal Minato while Minato was receiving the same look from the men.

But oblivious to all of this, Minato and Mikoto were in their own dream world. But of them wished that things should stay this way and were feeling very happy.

After a few moments Mikoto broke the kiss much to Minato's protest. He just couldn't resist kissing her more.

"What took you so long?" asked Mikoto with a smile. She had a few tears in her eyes.

"I...didn't have the courage to tell you." said Minato honestly

"Were you afraid you would lose me? How come you are telling me your feelings now?" asked Mikoto curiously

"Yes, I was afraid that I would lose you. And why I'm telling you now is because of Obito." said Minato truthfully

"Obito?" asked Mikoto with a questioning gaze.

"Yes, just like how I love you, Obito had feelings for Rin too but before he could tell her he died. I realized that I may die as a shinobi too, but I didn't want to die without telling you how I feel for you." said Minato with a true smile

_"Thank you, Obito"_ thought Mikoto gratefully

"Do you love me?" asked Minato a little anxiously.

"Yes, I love you Minato" said Mikoto with a true smile.

The smile which she saw on Minato's face could have brightened up the entire village. He jumped over the table and engulfed her in a bear hug, she was surprised by this sudden reaction but after a few seconds hugged him tightly and had a large smile on her face.

"Ohhh, they look so cute!"

"Damn, never saw this coming!"

"Congratulations Hokage-sama"

Minato and Mikoto hadn't realized that they were in a restaurant and people were watching them. If it was any other situation they would be ashamed of themselves if they hadn't seen so many people's attention directed on them but this time it was different, they were in their own world and confessing their feelings for each other.

The couple thanked all the people respectively and before the entire village found them here they decided to get out of there.

Minato took Mikoto's hands in his own and they both teleported away. When Mikoto opened her eyes she saw they were standing on top of the Hokage monument. She was feeling a little uneasy as she had just been teleported by his Hirashin, even after travelling with Minato for so many times she just couldn't totally get accustomed to it.

"Are you alright?" asked Minato a little worriedly

"I'm fine, just feeling a little dizzy." said Mikoto tiredly

"Yeah it happens sometimes, Mikoto can I ask you something?" asked Minato seriously

Mikoto looked at Minato curiously, she didn't know what was going in his mind right now.

"Would you like to marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?" asked Minato hopefully

Mikoto's eyes widened on hearing this, she didn't expect Minato to propose her so quickly, but seeing the look on his face she understood that he wanted to tell her this for a long time, the confession was the first step of conveying his feelings.

She thought about the idea, she would love to marry a man like Minato but first she thought about her entire position. She was indeed the clan heir of the Uchiha clan but if she wanted to marry Minato she would no longer be the clan heiress, but her younger brother Shishui may be able to take her place and lead the clan.

Her father was a very nice person and he loved Mikoto very much. She knew her father would understand and since Minato was the Hokage of the village it would help in improving the clan's status in the village and as such the Uchiha clan's elders would agree readily.

That would be the end of the formalities but now came her personal opinion.

She knew Minato and Kushina were very close friends, but she wanted to confirm that they were not together and she was not getting in the way between both of them. After all those two were her closest friends.

"Minato, before I give you my answer can you give me an honest answer to my question?" asked Mikoto seriously

"Hai." replied Minato sincerely

"Do you have any feelings for Kushina? Its because I don't want to get in your way, you two are my best friends and I don't want to hurt any of you." said Mikoto a little worriedly

Minato understood what Mikoto was trying to say, it was indeed true he and Kushina were very close friends but he didn't have any romantic feelings for her. However it was not the case with Kushina, she really liked Minato but she never tried to impose her feelings on him.

Minato cared about Kushina deeply but just couldn't love her more than a best friend.

"No, I care about Kushina deeply but only as a best friend. She was our teammate, we practically grew up together, went through a lot of pain together, she may have some feelings for me but I just love her as a friend and nothing more. The one person whom I love with all my heart is you Mikoto." said Minato honestly

That was all the confirmation Mikoto needed and she hugged Minato tightly.

"Yes, I would love to marry you." said Mikoto happily

Minato hugged her back, his dream had finally become a reality. He had become Hokage, he was acknowledged by everyone in the village, made his clan and his parents proud and finally had found the lady of his life. Nothing in life could make Minato more happy.

They both remained like that for quite sometime, enjoying the warmth of each other. Minato then broke the hug as he too had some questions for Mikoto.

"Do you think your father would agree to this Mikoto?" asked Minato curiously

"I think he will, he loves me very much. Ever since my mother's death he had always took care of me and Shishui. He is the reason why the Uchiha clan is still respected a lot, I know there had been some tensions going on during the second ninja war but my father made our clan believe that this was our village too and we were a part of it. He holds you in high regards, most of the members of my clan respect you deeply, you are fair to each and every clan of Konoha and have always treated us respectfully, so I don't think there will be much resistance to this. Shishui can easily take my place and lead the clan. Our clan is not as large as it was before and has been reduced in numbers but still we would always be loyal to the village and if I marry you it would also strengthen your ties with my clan." explained Mikoto briefly

Minato was quite impressed by the thorough analysis which Mikoto had given him about the entire sitution. The cards were indeed in their favour, and he liked that.

"Wow, that was a very impressive deduction Mikoto, maybe you should have become Hokage. Atleast that would mean no paperwork for me." joked Minato and chuckled

"I rather be a housewife and raise a family than do that boring work. Thanks but no thanks." said Mikoto jovially

"(sigh) Atleast I tried." said Minato happily

"Are you sure about this?" asked Mikoto seriously

"Yes, I have made up my mind. I want to marry you and as the fourth Hokage of Konoha it wouldn't be much problem for me to get your hand from your father." said Minato a little confidently

"Getting overconfident are we?" asked Mikoto slyly with a devious smile

_"What have I gotten myself into?"_ thought Minato a little worriedly as he saw that devious smile on her face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage of Konoha was known in the entire shinobi world as the yellow flash. His enemies fled on sight of him and yet we find him sitting a little nervously in a chair in front of Mikoto's family.

It was just him, Mikoto, her father Kagami Uchiha and her younger brother Shishui. Minato felt a little uncomfortable since Kagami was staring at him for the past few moments, his stern black eyes really were getting on Minato's nerves.

"So you want to marry my daughter Hokage-sama." said Kagami seriously

"Please, Minato is fine Kagami-sama. Yes I love Mikoto with all my heart and I want to marry her." said Minato sincerely and gave a firm gaze to Kagami indicating he was absolutely sure about this.

"Will you keep Mikoto-nee chan happy, Minato-sama?" asked Shishui honestly

"I promise that." said Minato truthfully

"I guess Mikoto agrees with this and is content with this proposal?" asked Kagami. He then gave a warm gaze to his daughter, in truth he was more than happy that her beloved daughter had chosen a man like Minato. Kagami respected Minato, he had indeed inherited the Will of Fire which Kagami's sensei Tobirama Senju spoke of. Also Kagami's best friend Hiruzen also held Minato in high regards. The entire village loved Minato and Kagami was more than ready for this proposal but as a clan head and a father he had to make the young couple understand the importance of this matter.

"Hai Tou-san, I love Minato too and want to spend my life with him. I request you accept our wish and give us your best wishes." said Mikoto softly

"You realize that if you marry Minato you cannot be the head of this clan and won't have much say in the clan affairs. Such a marriage has not been done before, are you willing to let go of your clan to marry Minato?" asked Kagami seriously. He had high hopes from Mikoto and his daughter had fulfilled his every wish and had made the Uchiha clan very proud.

"I know Tou-san, but I believe in a few years Shishui can lead our clan better than me. I will always be devoted to our clan whether I am Minato's wife or not. The Uchiha clan is my family and I shall never forsake them." said Mikoto firmly and gave her father a determined look.

Kagami's face relaxed and a wide smile came on his face. Shishui had already known what his father was doing and was happy for his sister.

"Then you have my blessings. I will make sure the others in the clan agree with this. However there is a certain condition for this marriage to happen." said Kagami seriously

"What is this condition?" asked Minato curiously

"If any of your children manage to awaken the sharingan they shall also have to adopt the Uchiha name along with your clan's name. They will also have to fulfill certain responsibilities towards this clan, the Sharingan is our kekkai genkai and your children will be part of our clan too. Also before you or your children decide to marry another person from another clan, they shall have to consult with the current head of our clan, we will not impose our ideals or ambitions on them but we just would like to know about their reasons for this. That's all." explained Kagami briefly.

Minato thought about the condition briefly, if his son/daughter awakened the sharingan then they would also inherit the Uchiha name. He didn't have any problems with that as they would also be Mikoto's children and she had a right to give them her clan name too. Next were their responsibilities in the Uchiha clan, he knew Kagami was an honest person and so was his son Shishui, they wouldn't try to use his children for power. The last condition was a little strange but Minato had to agree with it.

"I accept your conditions only on one condition that my children won't be forced to do anything against their wishes. I wish to marry Mikoto and I have faith in you and the Uchiha clan but I shall not do this at the cost of my children's future by any member of your clan or any other person." said Minato strictly.

Kagami could feel the pressure in Minato's voice, this was the voice of a Hokage. He was happy that such a firm man was going to marry his daughter, a man who valued family.

Shishui was satisfied by Minato's answer. In truth he wouldn't even dream of hurting his nephew/niece, they would be precious to him and he would make sure that no one forces them to do anything.

"I give you my word Minato, Please take care of my daughter." requested Kagami with a warm smile

Mikoto was feeling a lot more happy, she was proud of Minato, he cared about her clan's future as well as the future of their own children, he was a responsible man and Mikoto was happy that she had made the best decision of her life by choosing to marry Minato. The thought of a little blonde boy running around her house made her heart feel more warm, she just couldn't wait to have her own children.

She would shower her children with love and she and Minato would make sure that they would be the best parents in the whole world for their children.

Mikoto knew one thing that soon all her wishes will be fulfilled and she would be a proud wife and lovely mother to her son.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Hope you guys liked it.

Author's Note : Please read this fic, only if you are patient, I will tease you very much and I won't tell you anything about the plot or anything else. The only way to find out is to read the story. So for those of you who want to find out everything in the beginning I am sorry but you won't get that. All of your questions will be answered slowly through chapters.

I would like if you can give me brief and constructive reviews.

I am writing this for my own entertainment and possibly a few readers.

If any of you guys liked this story feel free to read my story **"The Sharingan Devil"** and **"Senju Naruto" The Rinnegan God".**

I'll update when I can.

Please **REVIEW.**


	2. Storm

**Before the start of this chapter, I am warning all my readers that some scenes, theories in this chapter are not familiar with manga/Kishi's logic. These are my theories.**

**I maybe wrong, but don't question me regarding the contents of this chapter by comparing it with manga theories. I have my own ideas and reasons for doing this and it is connected to the plot.**

**That's all.**

**Enjoy the story.**

**Chapter 2 : Storm.**

(Timeskip : 4 years later)

It was September 15, an ordinary night in the village hidden in the leaves. The village had recovered greatly in these last few years. Its military strength was back to its full capacity and the village was economically stable.

People were living their lives peacefully in the village. It was all possible because of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze's efforts.

Tonight, the entire village was a lot more livelier than usual. Many of the people were celebrating, the reason was also very special.

Konoha had achieved victory in the third great ninja war on this day. Also today was the day when the child of their beloved fourth Hokage was going to be born.

Almost the entire village was eager to see the child being born.

On the outskirts of the village stood a lone figure. This person was none other than Kushina Uzumaki.

Kushina's life had changed a lot in these years, if you could say a major part of her had died during these years. She was devastated when Minato married Mikoto, but she did not bore any ill will towards them. She knew that Minato was always attracted to Mikoto, during their time as a team both of them were very close.

She did her duty as a shinobi, but with each passing day a part of her died when she saw Minato and Mikoto together. She had lost faith in the shinobi world and her life after seeing the horrors of the third great ninja war, she just didn't care about anything anymore.

She could still remember the day when Minato had talked with her.

(Flashback)

_Kushina Uzumaki was standing in the Hokage's office. She was happy to see Minato after such a long time, she had been away on missions and as such had missed Minato._

_Minato gave her a small smile which Kushina reciprocated it with her wide smile._

_"How are you Minato-kun? Its been a long time, Dattebayo!" said Kushina happily_

_Minato felt a little guilty, he was feeling very sad that he would have to break Kushina's heart._

_"Kushina, Its good to see you." replied Minato curtly_

_"Where's Mikoto? I haven't seen her since I've arrived" said Kushina confusedly_

_"Its because she is making preparations for her marriage." said Minato dropping the bombshell on Kushina._

_"WHAT! WHEN, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WHO IS THE GUY?" yelled Kushina frantically._

_Minato chuckled a little, this was Kushina's typical behavior which he and Mikoto had got used to._

_"She was going to tell you, but since you are here I'll tell you. But please calm down." said Minato, he then went towards her and surprisingly hugged her._

_Kushina was a little startled by this, but she hugged him too, she felt a lot happy when she was this close to Minato. It was her dream to be with him, to spend her life with him._

_"We are getting married, I and Mikoto-chan are getting married." said Minato sadly. He knew it must be very painful for her and was trying his best to convey it to her less painfully._

_Kushina was shocked on hearing this, it was as if someone had stabbed her in the back. The man she loved, with whom she wanted to have a family was marrying her best friend._

_"This can't be happening..." said Kushina with tears in her eyes. Her voice was becoming more choked with each passing moment._

_Minato for his part hugged her more tightly, he knew she must be broken but he had to do this._

_"I'm sorry Kushina. I love you, but only as a best friend. We have been through a lot together, you are precious to me but please understand I love Mikoto-chan." begged Minato_

_"Find someone with whom you can spend the rest of your life. It is possible to live as a Jinchuriki if you fill yourself with love."_

_Kushina remembered those words, these were said by Mito Uzumaki, the wife of Shodai Hokage who was the previous Jinchuriki. She told Kushina that she could also live a happy life despite being a Jinchuriki._

_"I love you Minato...I have loved from the day we became friends, we used to hang out together, fight together, I just can't live without you." begged Kushina and broke the hug so she could look Minato straight in the eyes._

_Minato's heart broke into a thousand pieces when he saw how much broken Kushina was, her eyes were full of tears, it was as if she was desperate._

_"You deserve someone better than me Kushina. I am not worthy for you." said Minato and averted his eyes from her._

_"NO!'_

_"Kushina.."_

_"This can't be happening!" yelled Kushina and grabbed Minato by his shoulder._

_"Minato, please don't do this, I cannot live without you. You are everything to me." requested Kushina in a broken voice_

_"Kushina please understand, I love Mikoto, I care about you as my best friend. I cannot pretend to love you, it would mean betraying all of us. Please.." requested Minato in a sad voice_

_"Mito-sama, you lied to me. I don't have anyone, my life, my pain. Why did this happen to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?" thought Kushina sadly_

_With these dark thoughts in mind, Kushina went out of the room with a broken heart. Minato just stood there with a sad expression on his face._

(Flashback end)

A lone tear slipped from her eyes. Since that day she couldn't maintain a friendship with Minato and Mikoto. Both of them had tried many times to help her, but whenever she looked at Minato, she couldn't suppress the pain in her heart.

She didn't have much friends and as a result she started to get isolated, she joined the Anbu blackops to escape from her pain, but even after risking her life on dangerous missions her pain didn't went away.

Today was the day when Minato and Mikoto's child was going to be born.

_"Today it could have been the birthday of my son."_ thought Kushina sadly

Another person appeared behind her in a vortex. He was wearing black robes with red clouds on it. His face was covered by an orange mask. He had spiky black her and his sharingan was visible through a hole in his mask.

"Hello Kushina." said the man seriously

Kushina just gave a nod in return, she just couldn't continue to live like this, she had even tried to end her life but was unsuccesful. She just didn't have anything left to live.

"Have you made up your mind yet?'' asked the person calmly

"Yes."

"This world is full of lies and deception Kushina. There can be no peace in this world, people like us who survive are trash. This is a pointless reality where no one can become happy. Join me and we shall create a world full of peace and happiness." offered the man seriously

"Will your plan work? Can we really succeed in creating such world?" asked Kushina seriously

"Yes, in our world, you can be with Minato, have your own family, friends, you can have every happiness you desire. No more wars, no fighting, living in peace. But before that I need to ask you something?" asked the man seriously

"What do you want to ask Madara?" asked Kushina irritatingly

The man named Madara chuckled a little, Kushina was indeed very short tempered.

"Do you feel anything for the people of this world?" asked Madara sternly

Kushina's entire life flashed in her mind, the destruction of her clan and village, the death of her parents, her being brought to Konoha to become a Jinchuriki, Mito's false words, her time with Minato, Mikoto and Jiraya, the war where she saw so many deaths, the pain when Minato married Mikoto, her life full of loneliness and sadness.

Her eyes hardened after remembering all that. Madara saw the look in her eyes and a wide smile cracked behind his mask.

_"Things are going better than I planned."_ thought Madara with a smirk

**"This place, This World...I DON'T CARE ABOUT IT ANYMORE!"** said Kushina sternly with all emotions leaving from her eyes.

_"So it begins!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a secluded room in the hospital, lay a woman. She had jet black hair and dark black eyes. Her face was beautiful but right now she was going through an unbearable pain.

She was none other than Mikoto Namikaze Uchiha, wife of the fourth Hokage and former heiress of the Uchiha clan.

"AHHHH!" screamed Mikoto as she was trying to give birth to her soon to be born child.

By her side was her husband, Minato Namikaze who looked very nervous and worried. He had not been so much frightened in his entire life, but seeing Mikoto in so much pain was unbearable for him.

"Its going to be okay." soothed Minato in Mikoto's ears as she went through another pain. She cletched his hand tightly in order to recieve some more comfort.

"It hurts" said Mikoto as tears rolled from her eyes.

"Please Mikoto-sama, you need to push a little further, you are almost there." said the female head medic.

"You can do this Mikoto, hang in there." said Minato and wiped away her tears and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.

Despite being exhausted, Mikoto felt a little happy as Minato was there beside her. She too was doing everything she could to bring her first born child into this world. She was escalated when she was told that she was going to become a mother. Her dream was finally becoming a reality, she was just one step away from seeing the face of her beloved child.

With renewed strength and courage, she willed herself to not give up. She started the painful process once again, but this time she went further without stopping.

This process continued for a few more moments until a cry was heard in the entire room. Mikoto was panting heavily, while Minato was having a few tears in his eyes as he saw the medic cut the umbilical cord gently.

Mikoto watched with blurry eyes as the medics washed the blood of her child. The medic then came forward with the baby wrapped up in a bundle of cloth.

"Congratulations Mikoto-sama, its a boy." said the medic happily and gently handed over the baby to Mikoto.

The infant had blonde hair like Minato, but instead of being spiky like Minato they were very silky, the baby had two short blonde locks falling on his small face. He was fair skinned like Mikoto and had almost the same facial structure as her.

Tears were freely flowing from Mikoto's eyes as she felt complete. This was HER child, her own flesh and blood. He was the most beautiful baby for her in the entire world.

The infant then slowly opened his eyes, and Mikoto's breath got caught in her lungs when she saw his innocent black eyes. They were the same as hers, the infant then gave a small smile to Mikoto and this moment would forever be arched in her memory as the most beautiful sight in her life.

"I love you, my sochi." said Mikoto warmly and embraced her son.

"He just looks like you Mikoto-chan. Thank you for being with me and making me a father." said Minato happily and kissed Mikoto softly

He then gently took his son in his arms. The infant was a little hesitant when Minato took him from Mikoto, the boy then looked at Minato in what may appear to be confusion, it was as if his innocent black eyes were observing Minato carefully.

Minato chuckled on seeing this, his son was indeed a very keen observer. On hearing Minato's laugh, the infant also smiled in an innocent manner.

"So what should we name him?" asked Minato happily while holding his son.

"I was thinking we should name him Itachi, but I want you to name him. He is our son, and as a father I think you should name him." said Mikoto with a warm smile

"Thank you Mikoto-chan. I was thinking about the name in Jiraya's sensei's book.." said Minato but was cut off when Mikoto gave him a very stern glare.

"Minato Namikaze, if you are planning to name my son after Jiraya sensei's pervy books, then I'll.." said Mikoto but was cut off when Minato quickly shook his head.

Minato knew Mikoto was a very kind and gentle wife, but when it came to her children she was very protective. The fact that she hated the Icha Icha series was also a point which she had made clear to Minato very _gently_.

"I meant "The tale of Gutsy Ninja", the name of the main character of that book." said Minato quickly.

The baby laughed when he saw Minato's face, it was as if all of this was funny to him. Mikoto also laughed when he saw that her son was happy.

"You want to name him Naruto?" asked Mikoto softly

"Yeah, he will grow up to be a great man just like the hero of the book." said Minato happily

"I guess it isn't so bad name after all." said a new voice.

Minato and Mikoto turned around and saw Kagami and Shishui standing there. Kagami's eyes were a little moist and was looking at Mikoto lovingly. Shishui quickly came in front of Minato and gently took Naruto in his arms.

"So this is my nephew, he sure looks a lot like you sis." said Shishui with a laugh.

"Why not? He's my son after all." said Mikoto with a warm smile

"Mikoto, I'm really happy for you my child. You have given me every happiness in this world and finally my grandson. I am proud of you." said Kagami with the biggest smile on his face.

"Thank you Tou-san." said Mikoto with a warm smile

"I just can't wait to teach him all my techniques sis. If he awakens the sharingan I'll teach him everything." said Shishui excitedly. Contrary to his clan Shishui was a very lively person, he was the same as his mother.

"Hey, I'm here too you know, I also want to teach my son many things." said Minato excitedly

"Hold your horses!" said Mikoto sternly to both men.

Minato and Shishui looked at Mikoto who was looking at them seriously.

"You may teach him when he grows up, but for now he is my baby and I want to spend time with him. And you're forgetting something, I am his mother, so if anyone has the right to teach him first, its ME!" said Mikoto with a smirk

"Now that's my daughter." said Kagami with a chuckle

Minato and Shihsui both looked at each other and had the same expression on their face.

_"Women"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Unknown Location)

In a dark room stood nine people in different directions. One thing which all of them had in common was they were wearing black robes with red clouds on it.

The figure standing in the middle had purple eyes and was looking at all the members without any emotions on his face. It was as if he was a corpse.

"Today we welcome a new member to the Akatsuki." said the man stoically

At that moment Kushina stepped forward and made herself more visible to the other members of the group.

Some of the members were quite surprised when they saw Kushina. Her long red hair were now tied in a long ponytail, she had the konoha headband on her head but there was a big slash on it. Her entire body was covered in the Akatsuki robes and she had a sword strapped on her back.

"The "Red Death Of Konoha", you sure have a lot of bounty on your head." said a man with dark green eyes.

"Shut it Kakuza, this one's pretty, maybe I should offer her to Jashin-sama." said a short man with grey hair. He had a long scythe rested on his shoulders.

"Hidan, you and your idiot god are not important. The money is more important than your stupid religion." said Kakazu harshly

"Shut up Kakuza." said Hidan angrily

"I find it rather interesting that someone like you joined the Akatsuki. What are your intentions?" said a scorpian like man, he had his face covered by a mask.

"Its rude to ask a lady a question without introducing yourselves." said Kushina rudely. She didn't give a rat's ass about any of these people, she was joining just because Madara had told her to.

"Sasori of the Red sands. Former shinobi of Sunagakure." said Sasori curtly

**"You sure bring interesting members **_Tobi._" said a black plant like person but muttered the last part silently

"Indeed.'' agreed its white counterpart.

"You're a Jinchuriki, aren't you? Samehada can sense your chakra." grinned a shark like man.

"Kisame Hoshigake, former swordsman of the mist. And that bizarre excuse for a sword is shark skin I suppose. That sword is pathetic." said Kushina with a smirk. She was amused when Kisame's eyes hardened and he lifted his sword.

"ENOUGH"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at the man in the center. The only person who had not spoken yet was a woman who was standing beside the man and was looking at all of them without any expression on her face.

"Her reasons are not important. She has special talents which are required for our purpose, just like all of you." said the man sternly

"But Leader-sama, aren't we supposed to catch people like her for our purpose?" asked Hidan dumbly

"Yes, we do need the Kyubi, but she is an Uzumaki and as such she won't die when we extract the Kyubi from her. She has chakra chains that are helpful in subduing Biju." explained the leader neutrally

"Our aim is the same. The five great nations are corrupt and it is time for them to feel pain. But before we can put our plans in motion, we need certain resources and preparations for that." said the woman standing beside the leader for the first time.

"Kakuza, Hidan, you two will work together from now. Kakuza, you will handle our finances." ordered the leader.

"Understood." said Kakauza a little _"happily"_. He sure loved money

"Just don't get in my way Kakuza." barked Hidan but Kakuza just ignored him

"Kisame, you will team up with Kushina. Both of you have certain skills which I need. You will do the missions I give you," said the leader sternly

Kushina just gave a threatening glare to Kisame, saying to be wary of her. Kisame smirked and had a mad smile on his face.

"Sasori, you will work on your own. Your job is to find us new potential recruits. Only take the best." said the leader sternly

"Hai Leader-sama." replied Sasori

"Zetsu, you will keep watch on the five great nations and keep us informed about their activities." ordered the Leader.

**"It will be fun."** said the black part of Zetsu

"We will get the job done" said Zetsu's white part

"A new era has come and we shall lead this world to a right path." said the leader firmly

All the members just stared at him, Kushina just remained impassive, the only thing she was interested in was her own ambitions, and she would do whatever it takes to fulfill them.

On the top of the cave, stood Madara looking at the members curiously.

''I wonder how things are going to change."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Konoha)

Minato was sitting in his office. Last night had been one of the best nights of his life. His son was finally born, he was finally a father. Many people had congratulated him. The entire village had celebrated on Naruto's birthday.

Mikoto was very happy and she was not willing to let go Naruto from her sights.

He was the Hokage so had to assume his duties but that didn't mean his mind couldn't be with his family.

His thoughts then drifted to Kushina, he suddenly felt very sad when he thought about his best friend.

In these years, Kushina had started distancing himself from him and Mikoto. She was present at their wedding but only congratulated them with sad eyes.

Mikoto and him had tried many times to make her happy and get her life back on track, but she refused to have any kind of relationship with them. She had slowly started becoming a lot more depressed.

When Minato had received her request to join Anbu, he had first denied it as he was worried for her safety. But she had insisted quite harshly and Minato had to agree as the Anbu commander readily accepted her proposal. They needed skilled people like her, they had lost many skilled shinobi in the war and as such he had to do what was right as a Hokage, no matter how much it pained his heart.

Since then they had never even heard from Kushina, Mikoto blamed herself for Kushina's misery but Minato had assured her that it wasn't their fault.

Suddenly he was interuppted from his thoughts when an Anbu appeared in front of him.

"Hokage-sama, there is an emergency." said the Anbu seriously

Minato schooled his features, he had to do his duty. Personal problems could wait later.

"What is the situation?" asked Minato strictly in Hokage mode.

"Kushina Uzumaki has been found missing since last night." said the Anbu shocking Minato

"What!" said Minato loudly

"Hokage-sama, she was assigned patrol duty by the Anbu commander last night, but she has not returned to HQ. We had already started searching her, we checked her posts and the entire village but there has been no trace of her." explained the Anbu briefly

_"This is bad."_ thought Minato worriedly. Kushina had the Kyubi sealed in her, and if she was missing then something must have hapened to her, did someone attack her. He had assigned some Anbu to watch over her as she was the Jinchuriki.

"What about the Anbu squad I had assigned to watch her?" questioned Minato strictly

"They are missing too Hokage-sama. Right now we are counting them as MIA (missing in action) with the possibility of them being found KIA (Killed in Action)" explained the Anbu

"Get the best trackers from the Inuzuka, Aburame and Hyuga clans. I want an entire task force of Anbu blackops to search for her in the entire fire country." ordered Minato firmly

"The entire fire country?" asked the shocked Anbu

"Yes, we need to find her quckly. Send me the Anbu commander. This information is top secret and you are not to reveal any of its contents to anyone. The penalty for breaking this order is death." said Minato sternly

"Hai" said the Anbu confidently

"Failure is not an option. Now move!" commanded Minato

"Yes, sir" said the Anbu and shunshined quickly to carry out his orders

Minato went towards the window in his office, he looked at his village. Dark clouds were surrounding the village, the people were living their lives unaware of the trouble the village was in.

_"A storm is coming."_ thought Minato

He was very worried about Kushina. Despite everything she was his childhood friend teammate and best friend. He decided not to tell Mikoto about this for now as she had just given birth and he wanted her to look after Naruto. He would find Kushina himself, and nothing could stop him. He was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.

"Kushina, where are you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**The end of this chapter.**

**Author's note : Well, very interesting chapter. Hope you guys liked it. The spelling and grammar errors have been kept to a minimum. Some of you may have made assumptions and predictions after reading this chapter. One word of advice from me, DOn't make them. There will be so many twists in this story. I have decided to keep the chapters short (Like manga), instead of making long chapters, I'll make shorter versions. This would make the story more interesting and keep the readers interested.**

**This way I can give updates more quickly.**

**As always reviews and suggestions are always welcome.**

**I won't answer any of your questions regarding the future plot or pairings of this story. If you have any doubts in the chapters published feel free to ask.**

**This fic is my dream story and I will update it without any doubt.**

**Please Review.**

**Be happy and have a good life.**

**BLACKWOLF501**


	3. A Broken Heart

**I'm back with another chapter for this story.**

**Thanks for the reviews.**

**I'm sorry for the delay, but rest assured this story will now be updated regularly. I have put my other story "The Sharingan Devil" on hold, so I can develop this story more.**

**I'm glad I have received a very positive response from my readers.**

**This story is being beta'd by myself. I don't have a beta, so I'll try my best to not make any mistakes.**

**There are some flashbacks in this chapter, they are in italics.**

**That's all I have to say...**

**Now enjoy the story...**

**Chapter 3 : A Broken Heart.**

The sun slowly rised in the sky and brightened the atmosphere with its warmth. The darkness of the night faded with the shiny rays of the sun which spread quickly in all the directions.

The sun is a symbol of hope, a symbol of light.

It marked the end of despair and the beginning of happiness.

In a small room, a blonde haired boy slept peacefully in his comfortable bed. He had a peaceful smile on his face.

He was none other than Naruto Namikaze Uchiha.

The son of the fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and Mikoto Uchiha. Life had been quite beautiful for this little boy.

The 5 year old little boy heard small footsteps coming towards his way, even in his half asleep state he could feel the presence of this person. He didn't know why, but he could always recognize other people near him, even if they were not visible.

The person then slowly climbed on his bed and was inching closer to him.

Naruto could feel the happiness that this person was radiating.

_"Here it comes"_ thought Naruto with a cute smile.

"NII-CHAN!"

Naruto's ears cringed a bit on hearing this loud voice, one of these days he would give the person a good lesson on manners.

_"Then again I can't do that to my ototo"_ thought Naruto happily

He slowly opened his innocent black eyes and saw the person who had disturbed his peaceful sleep.

It was his younger brother Itachi Namikaze Uchiha.

Itachi was a small 3 year old boy, he had black spiky hair and blue eyes. His face was very similar to their father, though he looked like a chibi.

"How many times have I told you not to shout?" asked Naruto kindly

He loved Itachi more than anyone in his family, even more than his mother. Itachi was his younger brother and was the joy of Naruto's life.

Itachi pouted and crossed his arms over his small chest. Naruto smiled a little on the antics of his younger brother, he was always very cute.

"You..angry..." mumbled Itachi with a pout. The 3 year old was finding it difficult to speak more than a few words.

Naruto chuckled and brought his little hand forward and poked Itachi on his forehead.

"Sorry about that" said Naruto with a warm smile

"Hn" said Itachi with a proud look.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Itachi's unique behavior, both of them stared at each other for a few minutes but then started laughing loudly.

Naruto embraced Itachi in a warm brotherly hug, this was the way his day usually started.

"Niichan...Kaa-chan" said Itachi trying to convey the message.

Naruto understood what his younger brother was trying to say. Mikoto must have sent Itachi to wake him up while she prepared breakfast for the family. Their father would usually be reading the newspaper of the village.

"Alright, let me get ready." said Naruto and slowly got up from the bed.

Itachi followed him as quickly as his little legs could take him. Naruto was a little intrigued, usually after waking him up Itachi would run back to their mother, but today he was following him instead.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Itachi, he definitely needed something from him.

"Alright what do you need, and don't lie." said Naruto strictly

Itachi just gave him a small sheepish smile and looked at him innocently.

"Niichan...I..want...foxychan" requested Itachi and pointed his small finger at Naruto's shelf, there were a lot of toys there.

A smile came on his face when he saw that fox.

(Flashback)

_A 3 year old Naruto was right now in a toy shop of Konoha. Mikoto was holding him in her arms, it was his birthday and as such he wanted something. She was very eager to give her son a gift._

_Mikoto was having a radiant smile on her face, she was quite happy when she saw the most biggest smile on her son's face while he was looking at the toys._

_Naruto was her life, she loved him the most in the world. It had been a few months since she had given birth to her younger son Itachi. As a result she was not able to spend as much time with Naruto like before._

_It did pain her but she knew Itachi needed her more right now._

_Surprisingly Naruto was quite thoughtful and smart, he accepted Itachi happily. Mikoto knew many children would be jealous of their younger sibling at this age. But Naruto was different._

_He always tried to help her, he would always be beside Itachi. He would always be the first to run to Itachi, if he heard him crying._

_In a way, Mikoto knew Naruto loved Itachi more than her. She was really proud of her elder son._

_"Kaa-chan...I.." said Naruto with a dreamy look in his eyes._

_"You can have anything you want my Naru-chan. After all today is my precious Sochi's birthday." said Mikoto warmly and kissed Naruto on his cheek._

_"You will grow up to be a fine man Naruto-sama." said the owner of the store._

_He was an old man, who had a flat wrinkled face. His hair were white but his eyes showed a lot more kindness._

_Naruto looked around the store, he was feeling a lot happy. He was spending time with his mother and he loved it. His eyes then settled on a toy._

_It was a small fox, it had black eyes and small ears. His body was brown skinned. _

_Naruto immediately loved the toy and quickly pointed his finger at the toy with an eager smile on his face._

_"You want that?" asked Mikoto kindly_

_"Hm..Hm" said Naruto enthusiastically_

_"Then you will have to do something for Kaa-chan too." said Mikoto with a smirk_

_"But..." said Naruto innocently_

_"No buts Naru-chan.." said Mikoto playfully_

_Naruto pouted a little, Mikoto and the owner of the store exchanged a knowing look. Naruto contemplated his choices, he really wanted that toy._

_After a few moments of thinking, he nodded. Mikoto was giggling when she saw how thoughtful Naruto was._

_"Alright, give Kaa-chan a kiss and that toy is yours." said Mikoto and laughed softy_

_A wide smile came on Naruto's face as he understood Mikoto's message. He happily kissed his lovely mother on her cheek earning a soft smile from her._

_Naruto loved her smile, it was one of the most beautiful things in the world for him._

_"Okay, now you can have it." said Mikoto and paid the owner._

_The man gave a kind smile in return and handed the toy to Naruto. Words couldn't describe how happy the boy felt._

_"Kaa-chan.." said Naruto happily and hugged her lovingly_

_Mikoto kindly patted her son's back, her eyes were a little moist. She embraced her son lovingly._

_"I love you, my Naru-chan"_

(Flashback end)

A warm smile came on Naruto's face as he remembered that memory. His mother was truly something else, she loved him and Itachi so much. Naruto couldn't understand how could she love them so much.

Naruto then looked at Itachi, he was looking at him with such hopeful eyes.

Itachi adored his big brother, he always was so kind and gentle to him, even though he put him in trouble sometimes.

"Nii-chan...I...want...foxy-chan" requested Itachi with an innocent smile

Naruto ruffled Itachi's hair lovingly and gave him a kind smile.

"Why not? Whatever I have is yours as well." said Naruto warmly with a smile

"NII-CHAN" yelled Itachi happily and hugged his big brother.

_"No matter what happens I'll always love you."_ thought Naruto and hugged him back.

"Now then let me get ready." said Naruto calmly

"Ok" said Itachi and went to pick up his new toy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Minato Namikaze was sitting casually on his chair. It was just a regular morning like always. A lot of things were running through his mind.

In these past 5 years a lot had changed. He had faced a lot of difficulty during his rule as a Hokage. Since Kushina's disappearance Danzo, and the councilors had started doubting him. They even went as far as to question his ability in front of the entire council.

Minato still remembered that day.

(Flashback)

_In a small room sat several people. The atmosphere was so much tensed that practically everyone was nervous._

_They had a reason to be, these people were various clan heads and important military personnel of Konoha. On one side sat Danzo Shimura and his associates Homura and Koharu._

_On the other side of the room sat several important clan heads like Hiashi Hyuga, Kagami Uchiha, Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara._

_In the center of the room sat Minato with the third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi by his side. The Anbu commander was on his left flank with his mask on._

_"Is it true Hokage-sama?" asked Shikaku neutrally_

_"Hokage, have we truly lost our Jinchuriki?" asked Danzo distastefully, his voice was almost filled with venom._

_"This youngster has jeopardized the village, I should have eliminated him long time ago.'' thought Danzo bitterly_

_"Yes, it is true and Danzo you will address me as Hokage-sama or Hokage-dono or I would cut your head off this instant and feed it to the dogs." said Minato and leaked so much KI that almost everyone couldn't breathe._

_The only one who were able to withstand such KI was Hiruzen, even Danzo couldn't breathe properly._

_"My apologies Hokage-sama." said Danzo without any emotion in his voice._

_"It won't be enough, since we are in a crisis right now I'm enforcing military rule and overriding the council." ordered Minato_

_Everyone in the room was quite shocked to hear this, Minato was the most strict Hokage after Tobirama Senju. After becoming Hokage he had already removed the civilian council from all shinobi affairs, he had totally taken control over them._

_He next stripped Danzo of his Root command, the shinobi of that blackops were then formerly integrated with the regular Anbu forces._

_Danzo had been furious and had even tried to gather support but Minato had publicly cut off his right arm for trying to defy his order. But Danzo was an important man and since he publicly apologized for his crimes, he was spared and given a seat on the council as an adviser. However everyone knew Danzo practically had no power now. This made the man furious but he would wait to take further actions._

_Minato didn't also believe in the Third Hokage's pacifist tendencies, he wanted peace in the shinobi world but not at the cost of Konoha._

_Minato changed the entire shinobi system of Konoha._

_He formed various divisions of special forces, like the Barrier Teams which were tasked with protecting the village and borders of fire country._

_The Anbu forces were almost doubled after the third shinobi war because of integration of Root Anbu forces. Almost every Anbu was specialized in one art like infiltration, recon, espionage, assassination, tactical and guerrilla warfare._

_Konoha suffered great causalities in the third great ninja war, as a result Minato started the medical corps under the supervision of his wife Mikoto. She was tasked with training young Kunoichi and shinobi in medical ninjutsu._

_Minato also created various commands like Communication Unit, Intel Unit, Supply Unit and the Decipher Unit._

_The academy was also totally changed, all the kids were properly trained from the age of 6, their skills would be recognized and they would be given advanced training in their specific arts._

_Every genin team was properly balanced with a ninjutsu specialist, medic and a Genjutsu/Taijutsu specialist._

_Genin teams were graduated early at the age of 8 and sent to Boot camp for war training._

_Konoha had the largest and the most lethal military force in the entire shinobi world. All of this was possible was due to Minato's efforts._

_However such achievements didn't come at a cost, Minato never spent time with his elder son Naruto, he wanted to be there for his son but his duties as Hokage always got in the way._

_It was as if Naruto was born with a bad luck, because Minato was able to spend time with Itachi as he was born few years later and the village had stabilized and become powerful back again._

_Due to Kushina's loss, Minato had to make sure the other villages didn't get the information that Konoha didn't possess a Jinchuriki. He had practically made Jiraya do all the work._

_He had tried to hide Kushina's disappearance for 4 years but now he couldn't anymore._

_"How long has she been missing?" asked Hiashi Hyuga seriously_

_Minato looked at that man, the Hyuga clan had started acting a lot more suspicious since he married Mikoto. They had even offered one of their finest brides to marry Minato, but Minato had curtly refused it._

_The Hyuga clan saw it as an insult as the Uchiha had now more power in the council, Minato knew something was wrong and they were already on thin ice. The Hyuga was a very proud clan, one would say they had a stick up their ass. The Hyuga and The Uchiha always were bitter towards each other and when Minato married Mikoto they thought that the Uchiha's had more power but that was not true._

_Minato's main reason for marrying Mikoto was because he loved her. Also due to this marriage, the isolation of the Uchiha clan which had begun since the rule of Tobirama Senju ended. Minato now allowed the Uchiha's to join every forces of Konoha and gave them very good positions._

_By doing this, he earned the trust of the Uchiha clan. They now fully supported Minato, he had indeed stopped the Uchiha's from doing something reckless, but the Hyuga were not taking it kindly._

_The Uchiha still handled the Police force of Konoha but now also worked for the village. Due to this Konoha's strength increased as the world's most powerful clan was back in their forces instead of maintaining just internal affairs._

_However Minato didn't do any injustice to any other clan, all of them were equally important for the village but the Hyuga wanted him to marry someone from their clan too, so that they could also gain some status but Minato didn't want to marry someone whom he didn't love._

_He had explained it to Hiashi and he had begrudgingly agreed, however Minato had assigned few squads of Anbu to watch the Hyuga clan, just in case._

_"She has been missing for some time. The details are classified with only the Anbu commander and me, I have made every efforts to find her but so far we have achieved no success." explained Minato briefly_

_"What were her last whereabouts?" asked Inoichi Yamanaka curiously_

_"She was assigned patrol duty in the norther sector of the village, she was to report at Anbu HQ after her patrol but she never showed up." said Minato seriously_

_"And the Anbu squad guarding her?" asked Tsume suspiciously_

_"They are all MIA, there is no trace of them. Its as if they have been wiped away from the face of the earth." said Minato irritatingly_

_"Its must have been Kumo, they had tried to abduct her in the past." said Choza angrily._

_"We have not confirmed it yet, Jiraya-sensei has been searching for her all over the nations and so far he has not found involvement of any hidden village in this incident." explained Minato briefly_

_"What should we do now Hokage-sama, without our Jinchuriki we would be pretty vulnerable, despite Kushina-san's boisterous behavior, she was one of the most strongest kunouichi of our village rivaled only by Mikoto-sama and Tsunade-sama. It could be she left the village on her own choice." said Shibi logically_

_Many council members shivered in fear, Kushina was not someone you would like as an enemy. She was the last Uzumaki and was powerful enough to keep the kyubi in control. Her ninja skills were Kage-level, if she had turned against Konoha, then they would be in deep trouble as she was the Jinchuriki of the strongest and the most fearsome Biju of the world._

_If the Kyubi was unleashed then..._

_Minato sensed the fear in the people and it was justifiable. He was also highly tensed, Jiraya had reported that there were some fishy talks going between Iwa and Kumo too._

_He knew Iwa detested Konoha for their humiliating defeat in the third great ninja war, Kumo definitely wanted the Byakugan and the Sandaime Raikage would try to get it at any cost._

_Suna was recovering from their losses, right now they were Konoha's allies, but Minato knew there was no such thing as alliance between hidden villages during the war._

_Kiri was in a civil war right now, a rebellion had been started against the Yondaime Mizukage, he was eliminating all the bloodline clans. Reports were saying he had gone mad, and was receiving support from Kumo on the condition that they would give them a bunch of the bloodline shinobi for their research._

_All in all, the world was in chaos,_

_And was heading towards the Fourth Great Ninja war, even though no one could see it right now. Minato knew that within a year or two war would be at Konoha's doorsteps._

_Plus there had been news of a new organization called the Akatsuki, right now they were being hired by Iwa and were small timers, but it only takes one spark to light a deadly fire that would burn down everything._

_Minato looked at all the members of the council, only Shikaku, Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and Shibi had the same look as him on their faces. They must atleast have come to the conclusion that things were going to get worse from now on._

_But still Minato knew he had to be strong, he knew his people needed him. Even though Kushina was his best friend, he would do what was right as the fourth Hokage of the leaf village._

_"Kushina Uzumaki is now labelled an S-rank missing nin, if any of you are to encounter her she must be brought back to the village alive. We cannot lose the Kyubi." instructed Minato strictly_

_"Hai" said all the members in unison_

_"This information will not be put in the bingo book, only you people are entitled with such sensitive information. If I find any of you have broken this rule.." said Minato and leaked so much KI that almost all the wooden desks in the room cracked, the elders were already on the verge of fainting, all the clan heads were sweating badly, even Hiruzen, Danzo and the Anbu's commander's heartbeat had increased a lot._

**"I WILL KILL YOU AS WELL AS YOUR ENTIRE CLAN."** said Minato dangerously with his fierce blue eyes sending a clear message to everyone in the room.

_No one messes with the Fourth Hokage of Konoha._

(Flashback end)

A tired sigh escaped from Minato's lips, his intuition was true, things had indeed gone worse. Iwa and Kumo had formed an alliance a few months back, with the aim of increasing border trades which will benefit both the villages.

_"Border trade, my ass."_ thought Minato with a frown

They were strengthening their military, and were preparing for a war. What they wanted from such a futile war was pointless, but there was going to be a lot of bloodshed soon.

Minato's azure eyes went up to a photo frame. A small smile came on his face, it was their family photo. He was standing in his Hokage robes, one of his arms was around Mikoto's waist. She was wearing her Jounin vest and black pants, she was holding Itachi in her arms. There was a wide smile on Itachi's small face, while Naruto stood between him and Mikoto with a very faint smile on his face. Minato and Mikoto both had one of their hands on his shoulders.

Naruto was a very unique child, and Minato had known this from the very beginning.

Naruto was a sensitive child, his sense of thinking was clearly more advanced than anyone his age. At the age of 4 his sense of thinking was on par with a teenager.

Minato was very sad as he couldn't spend much time with him and he had started noticing the change in Naruto's behavior.

When he was of Itachi's age he would always try to get Minato's attention, at times he would also demand to spend time with him. But due to Kushina's disappearance and the rising tension between the villages, Minato used to spend almost all the time at the office and increasing Konoha's military force in order to protect the village.

Mikoto did try to fill in his role but nothing could overcome the lack of a father in Naruto's life.

Naruto gradually became very silent and started to talk less with him with each passing day. He was never disrespectful or showed any hatred towards Minato, he just was indifferent.

It was as if he didn't care about Minato anymore.

Minato was very proud of Naruto, he never blamed Itachi for Minato's mistakes, he cared about his mother and family. He was always the first to wish him on his birthday, though he only just said "Happy Birthday" and went off but that was enough for Minato.

It showed that there was still hope and he could still get his elder son back.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he felt a pair of soft hands encircle him from his back. He knew who this person was.

"If you worry so much, you'll grow old soon." said Mikoto softly

"Nah, I'll never grow old. I'm still the most handsome man in this village." said Minato jovially

"Getting cocky are we?" asked Mikoto with an amused tone.

Minato just gave another tired sigh, he gave Mikoto a signal to sit. She slowly came around and sat in a chair beside him and put her hands on his hands.

"What's troubling you?" asked Mikoto worriedly

"Naruto" said Minato sadly

"Did he do something?" asked Mikoto curiously

"No, he didn't do anything. You know what I mean..." said Minato tiredly

Mikoto gave a nod, she understood what he was thinking. The relationship between her husband and elder son was strained to say in the least.

Both of them were right in their own perspective. Minato couldn't spend time with Naruto as many things were happening and he had to look after the village more. She was heartbroken when Kushina had gone missing, a part of her blamed herself for Kushina's fate but another part of her wanted her to be strong for her two lovely sons.

Naruto was disheartened all these years as Minato was never there, Minato couldn't even spend more time with her too. But since the village had become stable again and things were looking good in the shinobi world for a while, Minato was now spending more time with the family and Itachi.

She knew Naruto didn't hate his father, it was far from it. He was just disappointed in Minato.

Most of all her elder son had a very mysterious personality. He didn't care much about making friends, he just liked to spend more time with his family. He was usually very quite and only spoke when necessary.

"As his father, you think I would understand him but I clearly don't know how I can get him back. He probably hates me." said Minato sadly

"That's not true Minato-kun, he just isn't sure about his feelings. Even though he is smart, he is still a kid. Kids are like that at this age." explained Mikoto with a smile

"I am really proud of him Mikoto-chan, I'm really happy that Naruto and Itachi get along with each other." said Minato proudly

"He loves his younger brother more than us." said Mikoto warmly

"I am not going to give up, I will help my son in every way possible and make up for my lack of presence in his life for all these years." said Minato with determination

"Now that's my Minato. I'll help you too." said Mikoto with a smile

Minato leaned forward and kissed Mikoto softly on her lips. She kissed him back more lovingly.

"What would I ever do without you?" asked Minato softly

They were interrupted from their little romance when they heard two voices.

"I told you not to jump Baka. Now you're hurt." came Naruto's irritated voice

Mikoto immediately got worried and got up to rush to the stairs from where the voice was coming. However Minato stopped her, she looked at him harshly but he just told her to sit down and watch.

"But Niichan, I wanted you to see how much high I can jump on your bed." came Itachi's cute voice

"(sigh) You were lucky you just fell on the bed, what would have happened if you fell on the ground?" asked Naruto sternly

"Sorry" said Itachi silently.

Both Naruto and Itachi entered the kitchen and were quite surprised when they saw both of their parents were sitting together and were watching them.

Itachi was sitting on Naruto's back and had his legs wrapped around Naruto's waist. Minato gave a smile in return to his sons, while Mikoto was a little worried and immediately came towards them.

"What happened?" asked Mikoto worriedly and knelt in front of her sons.

Naruto put Itachi down and Mikoto noticed he had a sore ankle, she gave him a very stern glare.

"Itachi-kun, what have I told you?" asked Mikoto strictly

"To not jump." said Itachi sheepishly

Mikoto just sighed on her younger son's antics. He really was a handful and always got himself in trouble, he was the exact opposite of his older brother.

"Let's get you healed." said Mikoto softly and picked up Itachi and went towards the medicine shelf.

Naruto just had an amused smile on his face, he then noticed Minato looking at him.

"Naruto, come here. Spend some time with me." said Minato happily

Naruto's eyebrows twitched a bit when he heard those words. All those times he asked his father to spend time with him and he had refused saying he was busy.

And now after 3 years his father finally got some time for him.

But still this was his father and he just decided to obey him and be done with it. He didn't hate his father, but still it pained him every time he remembered the past.

He silently went and sat beside Minato, moments passed but he didn't utter a word, it was as if there was nothing to say.

Minato noticed his son's feelings, Naruto now just called him "Tou-sama" and not "Tou-chan".

_"I will not back down."_ thought Minato firmly

"Naruto..." said Minato hesitantly

Both father and son rarely talked with each other, and this was a rare time when they both were alone. Either Itachi or Mikoto were always around whenever they were near each other.

"Yes, Tou-sama." said Naruto neutrally

Minato's heart broke a little when he heard his voice and those words. He really had pushed away his elder son, the village was safe for now but things had went downhill with him and Naruto.

He wanted to know his son, his likes, his dislikes, his dreams and ambitions.

"What is your dream Naruto?" asked Minato kindly with a smile

Naruto just wanted to say he didn't have one and end the talk, but somehow a part of him wanted to say something. He looked at his father briefly for a few moments.

The man definitely wanted to talk with him.

_"Damn my kind heart."_ thought Naruto frustratingly

"I only want to protect my brother, that's all." said Naruto silently, his voice had a little doubt in it. It was as if he didn't consider himself strong enough.

"That's a noble dream you have there son. I'm really proud of you." said Minato proudly

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he heard his father was proud of him. A part of his heart was jumping in joy, his father was proud of him!

Minato sensed Naruto's surprise, he gave him a kind smile and patted his head.

"Naruto, I know I was not there for you for quite sometime but I really love you. You are my first child, my duties as a Hokage got in the way but I really want to spend time with you. Can you atleast give me one chance?" requested Minato kindly with a smile

Naruto looked at his father sadly, he didn't know how much Minato had hurted him. A part of him just wanted to say fuck off and be done with it but he really wanted to spend time with his father.

_"I can't just treat him like this. Maybe he really wants to spend time with me? Maybe he does love me too like Itachi? Maybe I'm not just a disappointment to him?"_ thought Naruto curiously

He then immediately disposed off such thoughts, he knew his father must be doing this out of pity and Naruto never wanted anyone's pity.

"You don't have to do this Tou-sama, I know you must have more important work to do rather than spend time with me." said Naruto sadly

Minato looked at his son sadly, he knew he had to let his son speak freely.

"You probably hate me huh?" asked Minato calmly, his voice had an understanding tone in it.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, he didn't mean it that way.

"I don't hate you Tou-sama...but..." said Naruto hesitantly

Minato put a hand on his son's shoulders in order to give him some comfort, Naruto looked at him for a moment. He had to tell his father the truth, telling lies wouldn't do good for any of them.

"Speak freely" said Minato kindly with a smile

"Its just I cannot forget the past. You were never there for me, I wanted to spend time with you so many times but you always said you were busy. I know you are the Hokage...I don't hate you...but.." said Naruto hesitantly

Minato understood what his son was feeling, he didn't blame Naruto for a bit. He knew what he might hear now would break his heart but he had to endure this as he had caused his son so much pain.

"I just don't care about you anymore." said Naruto sadly

Naruto then got up from the table and silently walked away from the room, leaving behind a broken and wide eyed Minato.

A lone tear slipped from Minato's eyes, he really was feeling very sorry for causing his son so much pain. He knew Naruto wouldn't say such a thing if someone had not pushed him up to his limit.

"What am I supposed to do?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Author's Notes : This chapter basically portrays what happened during all this time after Kushina's defection.**

**Ok, some of you might be surprised with Minato's actions as Hokage but in manga he really looked like a person who would defend Konoha at any costs, in my opinion Minato would be a little like Tobirama as a ruler.**

**As for the plot, as some of you have read it will be a lot different than Cannon. You must have realized this since you have read this far.**

**Just wait and see I have got very interesting events lined up.**

**Now before some of you may say I bashed Minato, let me say this. I DID NOT BASH HIM NOR AM I GOING TOO. This story will not feature bashing in any form.**

**What Minato did was right as a Hokage but as a father he failed, you must realize this.**

**And don't say Naruto is an emo (like Sasuke), he is young and is hurt by his father's actions towards him. It will take him some time to get over such pain (My Naruto won't be like Cannon Naruto where he just says its alright to Minato while pein arc. He just says its ok he sealed the kyubi in him and he can handle it. WTF. People are not like that, it takes time for wounds to heal)**

**Naruto loves Itachi the most like any older brother would, and he loves Mikoto too. As for Minato he does not hate him, but it will take time for their broken relationship to improve.**

**All of your questions (including those of Sasuke) will be answered in the future chapters.**

**For the love of god, don't ask me about pairings. You may suggest pairings but don't ask me. Seriously do you guys really read stories for pairings?**

**Well enough of my talk.**

**I'll update soon.**

**Hope you guys liked it.**

**Please Review, I really want to know your thoughts.**


	4. A Mother's Love

**Thanks for the reviews on the earlier chapter. I am happy people took a liking to it. This story does not have a Beta.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**A Mother's Love.**

Naruto sat alone in the small training ground of his house.

It wasn't very big, just a small terrain which included a small lake. There were lots of trees around with training dummies. They must probably be for target practice.

He had seen his mother practice with her Shurikenjutsu many times. His father also some times trained here.

His thoughts then drifted back to the talk which he had with his father. He didn't hate his father, he still cared about him, but it was just too painful for him to bond with him again.

He only wanted to spend time with his father. He always heard people say how great his father was, but in reality he didn't know the man much as he was almost never there in his life.

Naruto was trying to understand that his father was trying to make his way back into his family but he wasn't too comfortable with having his father around, after spending almost 3 years without him.

He thought about his dream of protecting his younger brother at any cost.

In truth he knew he was weak, he was not a shinobi like his father and mother. He knew if something ever happened then he wouldn't be able to protect Itachi.

Should he become a shinobi? What purpose would he have besides protecting Itachi?

He was interrupted from his thoughts when someone hugged him lovingly from the back. The hands of that person was soft and the aura that was radiating off that person made Naruto very comfortable and at peace.

There was only one person in the entire world who could make him feel like this.

"Kaa-chan..." said Naruto warmly

He went to turn around to face his mother but she restricted his movements and hugged him more tightly. Naruto got a little confused.

"Shhh...Just stay with me like this." said Mikoto lovingly

A contended smile came on Naruto's face, he felt happy. All those doubts, negative feelings he was having were slowly fading away with each passing moment.

It was as if his mother was taking away all his pain and filling him with her love.

He slowly rested his head gently on his mother's chest and put his hands on her soft hands. It was evening and the sun was setting, the entire scene was just beautiful for Naruto.

He didn't know what he would do without his mother.

For him she was perfect. She was kind, caring, gentle and even strict when necessary.

She always took care of all of them, gave them healthy food, looked after their health, became worried when they were injured.

She was the center of the family and all of their lives revolved around her.

Naruto didn't know if he loved his brother more or his mother. Both of them were precious to him.

Meanwhile Mikoto was gently caressing her son's blonde hair. She had heard the entire conversation between Minato and Naruto. Even though she was busy healing Itachi's sore ankle, her entire focus was on Naruto's talk with Minato.

She was very upset with the fact that things had gotten this worse between her husband and elder son.

She knew Naruto was not to blame for any of this. Any child of his age would behave like this, also her son was a logical person. So she knew he wouldn't forgive Minato just like that.

She felt very sad on thinking about how much pain her son was in.

"Hey Kaa-chan.." said Naruto slowly

Mikoto was interrupted from her train of thoughts, she looked at Naruto curiously.

"I didn't sense your presence when you arrived." said Naruto in confusion

"What do you mean?" asked Mikoto curiously

"I can always feel people's presence when they are around me." explained Naruto simply.

_"A sensor!"_ thought Mikoto surprisingly

"Naru-chan, try to concentrate now and tell me what do you feel?" asked Mikoto softly

She was pretty much sure her son had a very unique ability. Sensor ninja were very rare, and were extremely useful in the village armies. They could work in recon units, communication units not to mention in full combat squads.

Sensors were one of the most unique and deadly ninja as they could predict an attack before it is launched.

Naruto gave an affirmative nod and closed his eyes. He then slowly tried to concentrate in order to feel what was around him.

At first nothing happened for a few moments, his eyebrows twitched a bit when he was not met with success.

_"One more time."_ thought Naruto with determination

This time he gave his utmost concentration, still he couldn't feel anything around him.

"Its not working Kaa-chan.." said Naruto sadly

"Oka-" said Mikoto gently but was cut off when Naruto raised his voice.

"Wait...I feel something." said Naruto surprisingly

"What is it?" asked Mikoto curiously, she was very eager to know whether her son had abilities of a sensor or not.

"I feel your presence, its so warm and calm." said Naruto calmly

_"He can even feel what I'm feeling right now!"_ thought a shocked Mikoto.

It was indeed true that she was not concealing her chakra, if she did that she was pretty much sure Naruto would not be able to sense her presence. Also she was right beside him so it would be very easy to recognize her presence.

"I can feel Itachi's presence in the house, but there is something that is very confusing Kaa-chan." said Naruto with a frown.

"What's the problem?" asked Mikoto intriguingly

"I can feel some people outside our house, but their presence is barely visible. They were there just for a moment but I lost their presence." said Naruto curiously

_"He can even feel the Anbu guarding our house. Its amazing, even if it was just for a moment it was truly something worthy of praise. He must have sent a strong wave of his chakra unconsciously. It must have been pretty strong but since it was short he lost the Anbu."_ thought Mikoto tactically

"Well Kaa-chan...do you know why I'm able to feel such things? asked Naruto innocently

"Its because you are very special my Naru-chan. You are a sensor." explained Mikoto with a proud smile.

"Sensor?" asked Naruto confusedly

"They are special people who can feel other people's presence around them. There are very few sensors in the world. The fact that you are one makes me very proud." explained Mikoto with a wide smile

Naruto blushed a little in embarrassment, Mikoto giggled on seeing this and ruffled her son's hair lovingly, Suddenly a question came in Naruto's mind and he decided to ask his mother about it.

"Then why was I not able to feel your presence?" asked Naruto curiously

"Maybe its because you were not concentrating, and I'm a shinobi so I can hide my presence very well." said Mikoto with a smirk.

"That's not fair." said Naruto with a cute pout.

"Is that so?" asked Mikoto with a devious smile on her face, she started tikcling her son's chest earning loud laughter from him.

"HAHAHA...Kaa-chan...please stop." said Naruto in between laughs, he was feeling very happy.

Mikoto sensed her son was now comfortable with her and she decided to ask him about his talk with Minato and if possible try to explain him to understand his father and his duties as a Hokage.

"Naru-chan, do you really don't like your Tou-chan?" asked Mikoto sadly.

Naruto sensed the sadness in her voice, but there was no disappointment in her words. He dropped his head in shame, he never wanted to make his mother sad and now that he had done it, he was quite ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry." said Naruto apologetically, a few tears had already started to form in his eyes.

"Naru-chan, let it out." said Mikoto gently and hugged him tightly.

"Kaa-chan.." said Naruto in a choked voice, tears had already started to drop from his eyes.

"I'm always going to be there for you. I love you very much and you can be yourself around your Kaa-chan. Just cry your pain, I know." said Mikoto in a similar choked voice, she was rubbing Naruto's back affectionately in order to comfort him.

Those words were the final nail in the coffin and Naruto couldn't control the dam of tears that had formed in his eyes.

All the pain and sadness he felt for all these years due to his father's absence finally took a toll on him. He hugged his mother so tightly that some crease had started to form on her dress but she didn't back out.

She hugged him back even more fiercely while whispering comforting words in his ears and rubbing his back simultaneously.

He was really thankful to whatsoever god for giving him such a loving mother. She was his world, the only person who understood him completely and no matter what happened was always there for him.

No matter how much mischief he did when he was his brother's age, no matter how much pain it caused her on seeing his dislike for his father she never abandoned him.

She never lost hope in him and Naruto couldn't understand how could she love him so much.

He never did anything significant for her and yet she loved him immensely.

Naruto's emotional outbursts continued for a few minutes until it was reduced to small sobs. Mikoto gently wiped the tears on his face and gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I'm sorry for making you sad Kaa-chan. I'm not a good son." said Naruto in an ashamed voice

He was quite surprised when his mother gently lifted his chin so he could look her straight in the eyes. Naruto was quite shocked on seeing the fierce look in her eyes.

"You are the type of son who every mother wants. You are kind, gentle, caring, you always look after your little brother, always try to help me and even though things between your Tou-chan and you have gotten a little rough I never blame you for it." said Mikoto firmly

"What? asked a shocked Naruto, he expected his mother to blame him but was quite surprised when she said the opposite.

"Yes, I do not blame you and neither do I blame your father. Both of you are right in your own perspective, you only wanted to spend time with your father while Minato wanted to do the same." said Mikoto seriously shocking Naruto to the core.

"This can't be true Kaa-chan, he was never there for me." said Naruto loudly, his voice contained a little venom in it.

Mikoto did not lose her calm and decided to explain the truth to her son. She knew even after this, Naruto wouldn't forgive his father immediately, it will take time but she had to take the first step.

"Naru-chan, your father has to protect the village as Hokage. Things have gotten a little bad in the last few years and your father is highly tensed. He still regrets not spending time with you but just as you are our child, he has to look after all the other children's safety like yours. That his duty as a leader of this village." explained Mikoto briefly

Some things started making sense in Naruto's mind, now he could understand why his father did that, but that didn't change the fact that he was still disapointed in him.

"Does that mean I am not important to him, will he still put others before me? Will I always be a second choice to him in comparison to the villagers?" asked Naruto sadly

Mikoto gave a tired sigh, Naruto was really stubborn in his beliefs, it was as if he was testing her patience.

"No, you are as important to him as all of us. Do you know it was your father who gave you your name." said Mikoto with a smirk, she really knew how to handle a situation. Her years at the hospital and treating different people made her understand people better.

"Really?" asked a surprised Naruto

"Hai, he was very happy the day you were born. He even cried tears of joy when he took you in his arms for the first time. He was so excited to teach you everything he knew and wanted to be the best father in the world." said Mikoto with a gentle smile as she remembered that night.

Naruto could now understand a little, he really was surprised that his father was happy to have him.

_"Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he really loves me as much as Itachi. Maybe I should give him a chance."_ thought Naruto slowly

Mikoto could read what her son was thinking from the look on his face. A small smirk came on her face as she realized that her first step in improving the relation between her son and her husband was met with a little success.

"You should give your father a chance Naru-chan. He really wants to come back in the family, he really loves you and wants to spend time with you and make up for all the times he wasn't there." explained Mikoto briefly

"I'll try, Kaa-chan" said Naruto hesitantly, he really wanted to believe in each and every word his mother had said. But instead of rushing in on blind faith he would take his time and see if his father really wants to be there for him.

"Now that's my Naru-chan. I'm really proud of you, take your time and try to gather your feelings slowly." said Mikoto with a vibrant smile on her face.

"Hai" said Naruto slowly

Mikoto sensed Naruto's uncomfortable behavior and decided to change the topic.

"Naru-chan do you want to become a shinobi?" asked Mikoto seriously.

"I just want to protect my brother." said Naruto slowly

Mikoto smiled again on hearing those words again. She really felt very happy that her two boys were so close to each other.

"But what about the people of this village?" asked Mikoto seriously, she knew she had to guide her son on the right path if he wanted to be a shinobi. Protecting Itachi was a noble dream, but Naruto was the elder son and heir of the Namikaze clan. The villagers had great expectations from him and some even thought that her son could become the next Hokage.

"Huh?" asked Naruto curiouly, he had never thought about that.

Mikoto took a deep breath in order to explain it to Naruto in detail.

"Naru-chan protecting your little brother is a noble dream, but shinobi are always entrusted with the safety of this village and the people live in it. You are the son of the Hokage and the heir to our clan. The villagers and shinobi have high expectations from you." explained Mikoto briefly

"But I don't know if I can live up to their expectations. Why is it necessary for me to protect the people of this village?" asked Naruto curiously

"That's because we are one big family, we take care of each other. Your father looks after the entire village and protects it. Your grandfather and uncle take care of the Uchiha clan and also protect the village from its enemies. I am a shinobi too and I am ready to protect the village and my family at all costs because you all are precious to me." explained Mikoto with a smile

"I understand." said Naruto calmly

"Don't worry Naru-chan there is nothing you should be afraid of. I think it is a good thing that you are trying to become a shinobi, it shows that you understand that to be a ninja you have to start right at the bottom and work your way up and protect your precious people." said Mikoto calmly

"Really?" he asked with her nodding.

"If you like I can go over it with you and teach you how to access your chakra." she said making him get a hopeful look on his face.

"Really you would do that. Don't you have others things you need to do today?" asked Naruto curiously

"I don't have a shift at the hospital today and it is either help you or get bored sitting at home. And how could I ever not want to help my little Naru-chan." said Mikoto with a playful smile.

She picked Naruto up from his spot and put him in her lap as she leaned against a nearby tree.

"Are you ready?" asked Mikoto seriously

"Hai" said Naruto enthusiastically

"Now I'll first explain what is chakra, okay?" asked Mikoto and Naruto nodded.

"Chakra is the mixture between spiritual energy and the body's physical energy. It is essential to every jutsu technique that has and ever will be created. Once molded, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals." explained Mikoto briefly

"Does everyone possess chakra, Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto curiously

"Yes, every human being possess chakra, though only a few are able to use it." said Mikoto

"What is Jutsu Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto intriguingly, Mikoto smiled a little when she saw how curious her son was. Most kids his age would be bored on hearing so much theory, but her son was different.

"Jutsu are the mystical arts a ninja will utilise in battle. To use a technique, the ninja will need to use their chakra. To perform a technique, the ninja will bring out and release the two energies of chakra. By forming hand seals, the ninja is able to manifest the desired technique. Because of the extensive number of hand seals and different combinations, there are thousands of potential techniques to be discovered." explained Mikoto in detail and Naruto nodded.

"So what are hand seals?" he asked curiously

"Hand seals perform many ninjutsu, genjutsu, and other secret arts other than taijutsu. The exact amount of chakra necessary to perform a simple technique is manipulated through hand seals. This will vary between the simplest of jutsu's to the most dynamic and most powerful." explained Mikoto calmly.

"The hand seals are Bird, Boar, Dog, Dragon, Ox, Tiger, Serpent, Rat, Horse, Monkey, Hare and Ram." continued Mikoto and performed every one of the hand signs.

She was shocked when her little son performed each and every hand seal perfectly in the first try. His speed was slow but she was amazed by his sense of observation. It was common for a shinobi to learn hand seals quickly, but Naruto was a kid and he had indeed surprised her.

"Wow, Naru-chan you performed each hand seal perfectly. How did you do it?" asked a surprised Mikoto, but her voice was indeed full of pride.

"I just saw you perform them Kaa-chan. They are very easy." said Naruto sheepishly

"But still I'm very proud of you." said Mikoto warmly

"Thank you..Kaa-chan." said Naruto with a wide smile.

The two sat there for about an hour as Mikoto explained about chakra to Naruto in very detail, she wanted him to understand the science completely and was trying to explain it to him in the simplest way.. She also made sure he was aware of what made up chakra and how many chakra points there are in the body, even pointing to the places where certain ones were on her arms.

"Do you understand Naruto?" she asked him as he sat there on her lap and saw him nod.

"Can we try to see if I can use my chakra?" he asked since he looked a little eager to begin.

"Sure," Mikoto said warmly as Naruto hopped out of her lap and sat in front of her.

"Get in a meditative pose like I am doing," instructed Mikoto and sat in the position. Naruto watched and tried himself though Mikoto had to help him a little since his legs were still so little.

"You comfortable?" she asked and with Naruto nodding his head, she decided to continue further.

"Okay Naru-chan first I want you to make this hand sign. This is the ram hand sign. Using any one of the hand signs will help to bring out your chakra and bring it to the surface. The ram had sign is the one most used when starting out to first draw their chakra." explained Mikoto briefly and performed the hand sign

"Like this?" asked Naruto curiously and performed the hand seal perfectly which Mikoto was showing him.

"Now to draw out your chakra you have to dig deep inside and try to draw it out. Search deep down and wait until you feel a warm sensation in your stomach. When you feel it, try to focus in on it and then pull it out to the surface. I will demonstrate." said Mikoto seriously

Naruto watched as his mother closed her eyes taking a few deep breaths before exhaling. After about ten seconds Naruto felt a strong burst of energy come from his mother which surprised him immensely.

He could feel how warm it was and though it was nowhere near as big as his father, but he felt it flowing smoothly from her. He observed attentively for a few moments and was able to see a blue like aura appearing around her.

"Was that chakra Kaa-chan, The blue thing around you?" asked Naruto excitedly, he really wanted to do the exercise after watching his mother.

She opened her eyes and Naruto could see the blue aura had now disappeared. Mikoto smiled when she saw her son's excited face.

"It was. Try to extract enough chakra then it can become visible around you and will be a light blue color." explained Mikoto happily

"Now it is my turn," said Naruto happily and his mother nodded softly.

"Though don't be sad if you don't manage to do it Naru-chan. It takes time to activate your chakra for the first time." advised Mikoto sagely.

"Okay but I will try my best," said Naruto with determination, Mikoto smiled and settled for watching her son access his chakra for the first time. It was a really nostalgic moment for her and her eyes became a little moist as she realized her little boy was now growing up.

She watched as Naruto closed his eyes and took deeps breaths similar to what she did moments ago. The ram hand sign he made was shaking a little but she knew it was because Naruto was very excited as he did not want to let her down.

Even the Anbu that were guarding their house were a little curious on seeing the Hokage's son's performance. Though that did not mean they were not focused on their job.

A few minutes passed and Naruto opened his eyes with sad look on his face.

"I couldn't find it. I did not feel that warm feeling in my tummy." said Naruto disappointingly

"That's okay Naru-chan; I did say you might not be able to do it the first time around. It takes a few tries to first do it. You just have to keep trying and eventually it will happen." said Mikoto encouragingly

"_Okay I guess I can try again_," he said as he got back in his meditative pose and made the ram hand sign again. He closed his eyes and took a few more deep breaths.

Mikoto watched her son try again, she didn't know why but she had a feeling that her son would be successful this time. Maybe it was a mother's intuition.

"_I have to find a pull in my tummy_," thought Naruto firmly and searched around in his body while keeping as calm as he could. After another minute he still could not feel it so he gritted his teeth a little in frustration.

"_I need to unlock my chakra so I can protect Kaa-chan, Itachi and maybe someday even Tou-sama," _thought Naruto determinedly.

Just when he finished he felt a pull in his stomach and felt a warm sensation appear there.

_"Could this be my chakra?"_ thought Naruto curiously and started doing as Mikoto had said and focused more on the warm sensation and started pulling it to the surface.

When he did it felt like his whole body suddenly became warm and felt his fingers and his toes tingle.

Outside Mikoto smiled a big smile when she saw a tiny blue aura appear around her son. She was about to go forward and hug him. She wanted to congratulate him, for activating his chakra for the first time, but was a little caught off guard when she felt the power of his chakra.

"_His chakra, it's so much powerful. Though it is very small but it is stronger than my own." _thought an amazed Mikoto

Though she also felt how untamed it felt. Once Naruto got use to activating his chakra, she would most likely have to show him one of the basic chakra control exercises.

Even the Anbu guarding the house were amazed by the power of Naruto's chakra. It was growing more powerful with each passing second.

Mikoto decided it was enough now as Naruto would be very tired by now and she did not want him to overdo it.

Mikoto shook Naruto a little which made him lose focus and the chakra he was emitting stopped. He opened his eyes to his mother looking at him with joyful looks on their face which made him smile a big smile.

"I did it." said Naruto happily and jumped high in the air. Mikoto was quite surprised that Naruto even had this much energy left, however her suspicion proved correct when her son suddenly felt tired and his body got a little stiff and he started to fall towards ground.

However Mikoto was in front of him in an instant and caught him in a warm embrace. There were a few tears in her eyes, these were not tears of sadness but of joy and pride.

"Why do I feel sleepy?" asked Naruto innocently as he yawned in Mikoto's arms.

"Silly Naru-chan, you pushed out a lot of chakra when you activated it which has now left you feeling tired. Don't' worry after some rest and some food in your tummy you will be fine." said Mikoto happily

Naruto just gave a very small nod, he really felt a lot tired than before.

"I think this is enough for the day. Let's go home. I'll make Ramen for you." said Mikoto happily and picked up Naruto. He wrapped his small legs around her waist and nuzzled his head against her chest with her long bangs falling on his face and covering his face a liitle under their shadow.

"Really?" asked Naruto sleepily, he really loved when his mother made his favorite dish. She was indeed a very great cook.

"Hai" said Mikoto warmly

They started walking back towards the house at a slow pace. It was indeed a very tiring day for Naruto.

Halfway there Naruto spoke up. "Hey, Kaa-chan?"

"Yes Naru-chan?" asked Mikoto softly.

"What kind of a ninja are you?" he asked surprising her a little though she answered.

"Well I am a medic nin. I practice medical ninjutsu which is why I work mainly at the hospital." said Mikoto happily

"Medical ninjutsu? What's that?" asked Naruto curiously making his mother giggle a little as she noticed how curious he was even when he was very tired.

"Medical-ninjutsu is us a type of ninjutsu that is used to heal people when they get hurt." explained Mikoto in simple words so her son could understand easily.

"Like when people are sick and not feeling good?" asked Naruto curiously

"Exactly, I am okay at fighting but I prefer healing people which is why I am the head of the hospital and our village's medical department. I train shinobi to become medics" explained Mikoto briefly

"Wow, you are really amazing Kaa-chan." said Naruto happily

"Thank you, my dear Naru-chan." said Mikoto with a smile

"So does that mean you are really powerful too?" he asked making her smile again.

"I am nowhere near as powerful as your father but I like to think that I am capable of looking after myself. I am a Jounin level ninja so I know how to defend myself which is the main thing."

"Hm" said Naruto with a nod.

Both mother and son reached the door of their house. Naruto could feel sleep trying to overtake him and he knew he could resist now. He was at his limit.

He pressed his head tightly against his mother's chest and closed his eyes. A small innocent smile came on his face.

Mikoto gently looked at her son.

_"He looks so adorable."_ thought Mikoto happily

Naruto gently grabbed her silky bangs that were falling on his face.

"Kaa-chan...you really have beautiful hair." said Naruto sleepily

A wide smile came on Mikoto's face when she heard her son praising her hair. She gently ruffled Naruto's hair and gave him a small kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Naru-chan." said Mikoto lovingly

"I love you, Kaa-chan." said Naruto warmly and slowly sleep overtook him.

"I love you too, my little Naru-chan." said Mikoto warmly

She really loved her son the most in the world.

She knew she was the bridge that was holding their family together and live peacefully.

She was determined to be the best mother, best wife, best friend and best guide for her sons and husband.

_"I'll make things better. I promise."_ thought Mikoto with determination.

* * *

**Author's notes : Another chapter of this story is now over.**

**I hope you guys liked it.**

**Now as you all can see Naruto is not at all like Cannon Itachi, he is just calm like him. He has his own unique traits in this story, few similar to Cannon while the rest are a part of this story.**

**I hope you guys liked how beautiful is Naruto and Mikoto's relationship as a mother and son.**

**Now as far as Naruto and Minato's relationship is concerned, they will get close as a father and son but it will take time and patience from both of their sides. This story is pretty much based on real life relationships between people. They don't hate each other, even I had a similar relationship with my father but with time we sorted out our differences and now live peacefully.**

**Regarding pairings, I still have not made a decision yet. Though I'll confirm this, Kushina is definitely not going to be Naruto's love interest and neither Konan. Come on guys they are the same age as Mikoto. So I don't consider such a relationship to be believable, but that does not mean Kushina will remain in the shadows. She is one of the main characters of this story.**

**And for the love of god I don't hate Kushina, neither is she a bad person in this story. She is just someone with a bad fate.**

**I would like to hear your suggestions for this story and what pairings would you like.**

**I'll make this clear now, this is just to know the opinion of my readers. The pairing you suggest may or may not happen. Hell I may not even make a pairing if I don't find it right for this story.**

**I think there are not any grammatical mistakes in this chapter but if you find one, please do tell me.**

**Now that's it for this time.**

**The next update will be in a few days, I know some of you guys would like longer chapters but I can't seem to write long chapters for this story. Sorry for this.**

**If you have any doubts, suggestions you can Pm me, but I'll not reveal anything about the plot.**

**Please leave lots of Review. It'll just take 2 minutes of your time but they mean a lot to me and motivate me to continue this story.**


	5. The First Step

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews which many of you had given for the previous chapter. Well, as promised here is the next chapter of this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**The First Step.**

Minato Namikaze woke up with a wide smile on his face.

He really was very excited today. Some people may think why the Hokage must be so eager?

The reason was simple, today he was going to teach his elder son the various ninja arts. Words couldn't describe how happy Minato was.

The past three weeks had been some of the best weeks of his life. Naruto was now not cold towards him, he didn't hesitate to sit beside his father. He was slowly opening up to Minato.

Minato knew this was his golden chance to get his son back and make up for all the times he wasn't there. He had ordered Shikaku to handle the office for a few hours, to which the Nara had said as troublesome. He would teach his son for some time and head to the office to do his duty. His wife Mikoto would then continue Naruto's training.

This was the plan decided by both of the parents. When Minato would train Naruto, Mikoto would spend time with Itachi, and when it was her turn Minato would take Itachi to his office.

Itachi would then be taken to the park and any other place he wanted by a team of Genin. Of course the Anbu would be guarding his younger son from the shadows.

After Naruto's training is over, he and Mikoto would rejoin Itachi and soon Minato would join too. This way their family would be able to spend the maximum time together and Itachi wouldn't be just bored by sitting in one place.

A small shiver ran through Minato's spine when he thought what Itachi would do when he was bored!

Let's just say it won't be comfortable for any of them.

Minato was really thankful to his wife, for making his son understand and give his father a chance.

Minato was quite surprised and shocked when he learned about Naruto's sensor skills. His son was indeed very talented and with time he aimed to make his son a good man.

Naruto used to smile more now these days, Mikoto had trained him in accessing his chakra and now he had completely learned it.

Minato still remembered the day when Naruto had made a fool out of him.

* * *

_(Flashback : A few days Ago)_

_The Namikaze family sat around their dining table and were eating their food peacefully, well except from Itachi who was just munching over his poky._

_Minato sat in the center of the table, Naruto was on his left side and was eating his ramen peacefully. His wife Mikoto was on his right side guiding Itachi how to properly eat his food to which the young boy was showing discomfort by making angry faces._

_Mikoto had told him about how Naruto had accessed his chakra and how strong it was. Words couldn't describe how proud Minato felt, maybe one day both of his sons would surpass him and succeed him as the Hokage._

_Minato felt someone kick him a little on his feet from below the table._

_He looked at his wife and she was giving him the look to speak with Naruto._

_Understanding what his wife meant, Minato gathered his courage to speak with his son and offer him some help._

_"Hey, Naruto..." said Minato kindly, he knew Naruto only liked to be called "Naru-chan" by his mother._

_"Yes, Tou-san." said Naruto calmly shocking Minato._

_Minato's eyes were wide as saucers, he looked at his wife with a gobsmacked expression. She was looking at him with a victorious smile on her face. Naruto didn't call him "Tou-sama" as he always did, but now for the first time he called him "Tou-san"._

_Minato was so much in his own dream world and was suddenly brought out of his thoughts._

_"Tou-san, a fly went in your mouth." said Naruto __bemusedly_

_"WHAT!" yelled Minato and immediately rushed towards the washbasin._

_Minato gargled his mouth for three times and after a few moments walked back towards the table with a heavy sigh, how long had he kept his mouth open that a fly had got in. That was so disgusting and had left a bad feeling in his mind._

_Minato was quite surprised when he came towards the table and saw Itachi laughing loudly, Mikoto was giggling furiously while Naruto was almost on the verge of laughing but was furiously trying not to._

_"Is something wrong?" asked Minato curiously_

_"Tou-chan...Tou-chan.." said Itachi enthusiastically_

_"Hm..what is it Itachi-kun?" asked Minato interestingly_

_"Itachi..." said Naruto with pleading eyes, but Itachi just smirked._

_"Ni-chan tricked you!" yelled Itachi and pointed his small finger towards Naruto._

_Minato's mouth was wide open in shock when he realized, he, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha had been fooled by a kid._

_Mikoto smacked her forehead, the entire joke was ruined due to her younger son but it was still amusing._

_She was quite surprised when she looked up and saw a demonic faced Minato whose eyes were burning with fire and was looking at Naruto murderously._

_"Naruto...You little shit!" yelled Minato and went to catch his elder son._

_"OH SHIT!"_

_(Flashback end)_

* * *

A small smile came on his face as he remembered that incident. These were such moments that made him realize that his family was still together and everyone loved each other.

Naruto indeed was a calm person, but he still had a prankster in him.

Minato's thoughts then drifted back to his old time friend and teammate Kushina. She too was a great prankster and had caused a lot of ruckus during their time at the academy. He could imagine Naruto wearing an orange jumpsuit and screaming how he would become Hokage if Kushina had been his mother.

A small sigh escaped from Minato's lips, reality was always different than most people wished for.

He knew Kushina must have left the village on her own, she was a Kage-level shinobi and if there had been an attempt to capture her she would have used the Hirashin seal on her body to call him for help.

The fact that worried Minato was he could never activate that seal since the night she disappeared, he really was shocked. Had Kushina managed to remove the seal from her body?

But that was impossible, but then again Kushina was the best Fuinjutsu specialist in Konoha. Her skills were far greater than Jiraya's , she was from the Uzumaki clan who were masters in that art.

Regardless of what was the truth, Minato knew he was left with a bad pair of cards now. The world was heading towards war and Konoha was going to be right in the middle of the shit storm.

Minato knew his son would have to participate in the war and that thought made him more depressed.

His elder son was a pacifist who hated fighting. The only reason he was becoming a shinobi was to protect his little brother and the villagers.

War is hell and the thought of losing his elder son ran a shiver through Minato's body. He looked at the sleeping form of his wife on his bed and the small form of his younger son who was hugging Mikoto tightly.

He couldn't even imagine what would happen to Mikoto and Itachi if Naruto died in a war. Mikoto would be destroyed, Minato knew she loved both her sons but Naruto was very close to her. He was the center of her life and if anything happened to him then hell hath no fury like a women scorned.

The Uchiha clan were pretty much known for their vengeance, the fact that his wife was one made him more worried. Hiruzen had told him something about Uchiha activating Mangekyo Sharingan when they lose someone close to them.

Mikoto would destroy the entire Iwa if they killed her son.

And as far as Itachi was concerned, Naruto was his idol and best friend. He too would be devastated if something happened to his big brother.

Minato also didn't want to lose his elder son, despite their little differences he still loved him dearly.

He strengthened his mind and made a decision. He would train Naruto to his best abilities and will make him strong enough so he could protect himself and the others.

* * *

(A Few Minutes Later)

Minato walked down the stairs of his house. He was fully dressed and had a Jounin flak jacket on his chest and blue pants. He was going downstairs to wake Naruto up and start his training.

"So you're ready." came a familiar voice surprising Minato.

He looked to his side and found Naruto standing at the edge of the stairs. He was wearing a black shirt with the Namikaze name written on it and green shorts.

But one thing which Minato found to be surprising was that Naruto was wearing a black face mask on his face.

"Why are you wearing a facemask in the morning? And how come you knew I would want to train you this early?" asked Minato curiously

"I'll answers both of your questions, but not here." said Naruto calmly

Minato looked at Naruto and understood that he wanted to talk with him. Naruto's eyes were fixated on Minato's room, and Minato clearly understood that Naruto didn't want either Mikoto or Itachi to hear their conversation.

He gave a nod and both of them silently started walking towards the training ground of their house.

It was early morning and there was still some fog in the air that was hindering their sight. Both the father and son were walking peacefully, with neither of them uttering a word.

Minato looked at his son, his silky blonde hair were falling on his face and he had to admit his son really looked handsome with that facemask which his student Kakashi had given him.

They both stopped in front of the small trees in the backyard. Naruto turned towards his father in order to talk with him.

"So why are you wearing it?" asked Minato curiously

"To prepare myself." said Naruto calmly

Minato got confused, what was Naruto preparing for?

Meanwhile Naruto was facing a lot of questions that were popping up in his mind.

He really wanted to make something clear to his father and now was the time.

"Father, can you answer some of my questions honestly?" asked Naruto seriously.

Minato was quite surprised with the commanding voice of his son, these were the traits of a good leader.

"It depends on the question you ask." said Minato calmly

"Fair enough. Is there going to be a war?" asked Naruto seriously

Minato's eyes blinked in surprise, his barely 6 year old son was so much mature. He could have sworn Naruto knew about what was going to happen. He thought about all the possible answers he could give his son.

But in the end he decided to tell him the truth.

"Yes, there will be a war in the near future" said Minato gravely

"I see." said Naruto calmly

"Who told you that there might be a war?" asked Minato curiously

"It is not that hard to figure, everyone in the village is tensed. Shinobi are always training, people are buying more weapons, you have dropped the graduation age to 7 and that is why I have to join this year. I have heard talks about other villages mobilizing their forces too. You destroyed Iwa and Kumo's armies in the previous war, so now they are coming back for us. We are soon going to fight the Fourth Great Ninja war." explained Naruto briefly

Minato was utterly shocked by his son's thorough analysis, he had gathered the entire data and had come to the conclusion. If he knew how to fight, Minato would have made him chunin right away. Maybe his son was indeed fit for the front lines.

"I'm surprised, you really have thought this through." said Minato with a wide smile

"Tou-san, is there no other way to stop this war? Thousands of lives will be lost if it happens." argued Naruto fiercely

"I know Naruto, that is why Konoha will not start the war but if we are attacked it is our duty to protect our village." explained Minato strictly

"Can you promise me one thing, father?" asked Naruto in a very begging voice.

"What is it?" asked Minato curiously, Naruto never asked for something so badly. Minato was quite surprised when Naruto dropped on his knees in front of him.

"Don't ever involve my little brother in this war. I'll do anything, I'll even take a suicide mission if it means Itachi stays out of this war. I don't want my brother to go through that hell." said Naruto sadly

Minato was utterly shocked, words couldn't describe what he was feeling now. He knew if the war happened it could go on for years and Itachi would have to join the war too. Naruto was asking him to sacrifice him and spare his younger brother.

Minato knew Naruto loved Itachi fiercely but there was something different in his voice. It was desperate.

He bent down and put a hand on his distressed son's shoulders.

"Naruto, do you really want to protect your brother?" asked Minato proudly, he was grateful for having such a worthy son.

"Yes, but you must promise me that you will not involve him in this war. I know our strength is low in comparison to the combined armies of the other villages, I know you will need every person who can fight but...just not my brother. He is too innocent, I'll go to whatever front you send me, I'll do whatever it takes but please just don't involve him in this." begged Naruto

_"Is this the Uchiha's love for their precious people?"_ thought Minato

Minato looked at Naruto, his azure eyes were piercing his son's black eyes. Minato could see how much attached Naruto was with Itachi. This could be beneficial as well as harmful for Naruto. His desire to protect his brother would make him strong but if something happened to Itachi then Naruto won't be able to bear it.

He had to teach his son how to control his emotions but right now his son needed a father and not a shinobi.

"I promise." said Minato truthfully.

"Thank you, father." said Naruto happily and hugged Minato

Minato was quite shocked when Naruto hugged him, it had been so many years since they had shared such a moment. He hugged his son back gently, a wide smile came on his face.

He really was very proud of Naruto, even though Naruto's behavior was a little strange he was a good son. And the way he was willing to jump in a war just to protect his brother and the village made Minato proud as his father.

"I'll train you in everything I know, so you can come back to us." said Minato with determination

"I'll try my best." said Naruto doubtfully

"You have to promise me, have faith in yourself and your comrades and you will make it back alive." said Minato fiercely

"I...promise." said Naruto slowly

Minato smiled more and both of them got up and decided to start their training.

However one thing which Minato had failed to notice that Naruto had crossed his fingers!

* * *

In a small room sat four people around a table.

The atmosphere was highly tensed and one could actually feel the presence of all these people.

Onoki sat in his in chair with a dissatisfied look on his small face. To his left sat the Sandaime Raikage who too was not looking pleased at all.

To their right sat two figures, both of them were dressed in black clokes with red clouds on it.

_"What an idiot, would keep a name Akatskui!"_ thought Onoki with a groan.

One of the figures was none other than Orochimaru, the famous S-rank missing nin of Konoha and the most insane scientist in the shinobi world. He was looking at both the Kage in a very sick manner that was really not making Onoki comfortable.

It was as if Orochimaru was considering them to be his test subjects.

The only person who was sitting stoically in a corner was a woman with blue hair. She was the most quite out of all them and was very relaxed, even in the presence of three Kage level shinobi.

"How much more longer is it going to take?" asked the Sandaime Raikage in an irritated voice

"Patience, Raikage-dono. It takes time to prepare an undefeatable army." chided Orochimaru in his snake like voice

"Even if we combine our armies, Konoha still has the Yellow flash and Hiruzen Sarutobi and many more formidable ninja. They even possess the Kyubi." said Onoki angrily

"They don't possess the nine tails any longer." said the woman calmly

"WHAT!" yelled both the Tsuchikage and Raikage in unison

Orochimaru chuckled while the woman remained stoic as usual.

"It is true, their Jinchuriki has deserted the village and has not returned." said the woman

"How do you know this Konan?" asked the Raikage suspiciously

"We have our contacts." said Orochimaru with a smirk

"This could be a golden oppotunity for us but have you mastered that Jutsu Orochimaru?" asked Onoki sternly

"Ah, that wonderful Jutsu. The Nidamie Hokage was really a genius for inventing such a Jutsu." said Orochimaru gleefully

_"Is he insane?"_ thought both the Kage

"You don't need to worry about that, you will get your assistance on time. Meanwhile have you prepared for what Pain-sama had asked?" asked Orochimaru seriously

He really didn't know why he was doing this. All he cared about was mastering all the Jutsu in the world.

After the third war had ended, he was sure he would be made Hokage but his senile old teacher made that Namikaze brat the Hokage in his place.

Such insolence, he was the great Orochimaru, he could have uncovered the secrets of life and lead Konoha to glory but that was all in the past. He realized his life was too short to fulfill his ambitions and he had to become immortal.

So he defected from that pathetic leaf village after conducting all his brutal experiments. Hiruzen was not able to stop him, his old teacher was far too kind.

He then joined the Akatsuki as the organization was offering a lot of money and he could use that for his experiments. Plus soon there was going to be a war and the experiments he could conduct on all the shinobi were making him more giddy.

So much to learn, so much data, so much blood. He licked his lips with his snake like tongue.

_"Kukukuu...Soon I'll truly become immortal."_ thought Orochimaru madly

While Orochimaru was busy in his dream world, the woman named Konan had discussed the entire plan that their leader had told them to tell the Kages.

"So how much longer until the preparations are complete?" asked Konan strictly

"A few months after that Kumo will be ready." said the Raikage firmly

"Iwa will be ready to crush Konoha in 5 months. I will kill that Yellow Flash and his family for taking away my elder son and so many of my shinobi." said Onoki angrily

Minato had killed his elder son Renji in the third great Ninja war, he was among the thousands which the Yellow Flash had killed.

Onoki could never forget what happened and he had vowed to get vengeance.

_"Love breeds hatred and hatred leads to war. This world has indeed become corrupt Pain-sama and you are the one who will guide us."_ thought Konan calmly

Soon the Fourth Shinobi World War would begin and Akatsuki would execute its plan and lead the world to peace.

* * *

**Author's Notes : Another chapter done.**

**Now as you all can now clearly understand where this may be heading.**

**What is Akatsuki's plans? Where is Kushina in all this? How strong is Naruto?**

**I know many of you have questions and they will be answered with each chapter as I write.**

**Now this is just a small advice to my readers (specifically to those who complain about not getting much action). Not every chapter has action, some chapters are related to plot development. I cannot just show here comes Naruto and he has AWESOME powers and can do crazy shit.**

**I'm not that kind of writer, so you'll have to bear with it. I'll develop things at a slow pace.**

**This chapter may look small and insignificant to you but the impact which it will have on the story, none of you guys know.**

**It did have some father-son time.**

**Next chapter does have some interesting things that you'll enjoy but before that this chapter was necessary.**

**Your questions regarding Naruto's powers will probably be answered in the next chapter. I'll show his training too (don't worry).**

**Thanks for all the suggestions regarding pairings.**

**I have made my decision, some of you will like it, some won't, some would utterly hate it. If you don't like the pairing and are just gonna complain then I am not going to listen to you. This is my story and I have every right to write what I like.**

**Pairing is just a side plot, read the story for its plot and not for pairings.**

**And even after this warning if one of you is thinking about writing a flame, kindly fuck off. I am not forcing anyone to read this story.**

**Be patient...I'll update in a few days.**

**Next chapter is going to be full of surprises..I PROMISE!**

**Please Review.**


	6. Training and Bonding

**To all the people who are worried about the pairing. Calm down, read the story for the plot, this story is about Naruto's path not his love life. If you still don't like the pairing, you're free to read some other story.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Training and Bonding.**

Jiraya had seen many things in his life. He had been threw two great ninja wars, had seen the best as well as the worst faces of the human race. He had seen how kind as well as cruel humanity was.

During his long life he had met many people, some were good, some were bad, some were strange while some were outright evil.

He had trained four students, three of whom had died in war. His heart still broke whenever he thought about those three magnificent kids whom he had trained during the third great ninja war.

But still he was a shinobi and he had to endure. He still believed that his fourth student Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha was the child of prophecy and was the one who would lead the world to peace.

However the Fourth Great Ninja war was on the horizon, nations were mobilizing their armies and there was no sign of peace anywhere.

He was curious as to why he had been summoned to Mount Myoboko. There were not many times when he was called by the toads.

It was mostly when the Great Toad Elder had to make a prophecy.

That thought alone made Jiraya nervous, whenever the Elder made a prophecy the entire shinobi world would change, for better or for worse he was not sure about.

Standing in front of him were Fukasaka-sama and his wife Lady Shima. They both were the most senior toads in the entire toad clan after the Great Elder. They were also his teacher and partners in fighting.

"Why do you think the Great Elder has called me?" asked Jiraya curiously

"It is regarding the prophecy Jiraya-boy." said Fukasaka sagely

"Do any of you know something about it?" asked Jiraya, if there was anything the elder told someone it was these two.

"No, the stubborn old geezer just told us to summon you here. I bet he is getting more senile with each passing day." said Shima irritatingly

Shima didn't like the elder toad much, he was a stubborn old geezer. Although he was huge in size, he was a lazy old frog who just used to smoke all day. He used to blabber things from time to time but since he was the elder they had to listen to him. Shima didn't like when someone interuppted her cooking and this time the stubborn geezer had called her right during the middle of it.

That had really pissed her off.

"Maa, have some respect for the great elder!" chided Fukasaka

"You, Shut up!" said Shima irritatingly

_"These two..."_ thought Jiraya tiredly, although both of them were strong and wise but they always behaved like little children.

Looking at the giant figure of the elder toad, another tired sigh escaped from Jiraya's lips when he saw the elder sleeping off peacefully. He could have written his Icha Icha : Forest Edition. Millions of his fans were waiting, but no! He had to wait for a stubborn old geezer to wake up.

"Its going to be a long day..."

* * *

(Konoha)

Minato and Naruto stood on the opposite sides of the training ground. Naruto had a serious look in his eyes and Minato was happy to see that his son was not a person who would take his training less seriously.

"Alright, Naruto now since your mother has taught you how to access your chakra, I'll teach you how to control it." instructed Minato seriously

"Control my chakra?" asked Naruto confusedly

"Yes, in order to perform any ninjutsu or genjutsu you need to first of all have a good control over your chakra. A jutsu is a combination of your physical and spiritual energy and they are executed through the application of hand seals. In order to do that I'll teach you chakra control exercises." explained Minato briefly

Naruto gave a firm nod indicating he understood his father. He knew what he was getting was a great honor. Many people would give anything to get training from the Hokage, Naruto knew even though his father wanted to train him from the bottom of his heart, he was a Hokage and was specifically devoting his time in training him which he could have used to help the village.

_"I have to live up to everyone's expectations."_ thought Naruto with determination as he remembered what his mother had said about everyone in the village expecting great things from him.

Konoha was his home, this was the country he was born in. He would do everything to protect his motherland and would become powerful to protect it from enemies.

Minato saw the look in his son's eyes and a proud smile came on his face. His son was becoming a shinobi for the right reasons and he had a great determination in his eyes too.

"Alright, let's do this." said Minato enthusiastically

He then plucked a leaf from the nearby tree and handed it to Naruto, gaining a confused look from his elder son.

"Tou-san, what am I supposed to do with this leaf?" asked Naruto confusedly

Minato chuckled a little and ruffled his son's silky hair, earning a pout from Naruto.

"Well, this is the first chakra control exercise which you will learn. It is called Leaf Balancing." said Minato happily

"Leaf Balancing?" asked Naruto curiously and observed the leaf a little more closely.

"Yes, This training method is done by placing a leaf over an individual's forehead and having them direct all their chakra onto the leaf, using it as a focal point. This is the first exercise that will help you in controlling your chakra. Make the leaf float with the help of your chakra. Here I'll show you." said Minato briefly

Minato then tore another leaf from the tree and put it on his forehead. He then closed his eyes in order to concentrate and show his son how it's done.

Meanwhile Naruto was observing every minute detail of his father. He had watched how he had put the leaf at the center of his forehead, he could feel his father had now calmed his chakra. For a few moments there was nothing.

But then something started to change.

He used his sensor skills and was able to realize that his father was slowly sending his chakra to his forehead. Naruto closed his eyes to concentrate more and now he could feel a blue aura radiating around his father's body indicating the use of his chakra.

He could feel a stream of his father's chakra slowly concentrating around his forehead. It was slow and very calm, he opened his eyes and was surprised when he saw the leaf floating a few feet above in the air.

_"I get it now."_ thought Naruto happily as he understood the entire exercise.

Being a sensor rocks!

"So, you see its done this way. Now you try it, but don't be sad if you aren't able to do it the first time." advised Minato

"You'll see, Tou-san." said Naruto with a smirk and put the leaf on his forehead

_"(sigh) He is a little overconfident!"_ thought Minato tiredly, but he really was interested if his son could do it in the first time. Mikoto had told him that Naruto had great observation skills and if that was true then he would learn this exercise in no time.

_"Stay calm and focused. I'll send a stream of my chakra as a tidal wave."_ thought Naruto firmly

Minato started sensing chakra radiating from his son's body. He was quite surpirsed by the power of Naruto's chakra. It was firm and strong, he could actually see his son possessing a powerful chakra in the near future.

Naruto was concentrating hard and had closed his eyes.

_"Focus..."_ thought Naruto with determination and slowly started sending chakra to his forehead.

What happened next surprised Minato to the core.

The leaf on Naruto's head started floating slowly above his forehead. At first it was one, now two, three and finally it was five feet above Naruto's forehead and was flowing effortlessly.

_"He mastered it in the first time!"_ thought a surprised Minato

_"Nice and easy."_ thought Naruto happily and continued the process.

He was interuppted from his thoughts when he heard clapping. He slowly reduced his chakra and brought the leaf down slowly and caught it in his hands. He opened his eyes and was now face to face with his father who was having a vibrant smile on his face.

"I'm really proud of you. You mastered it in the first time." congratulated Minato happily and gave Naruto a pat on his shoulders.

"It was nothing, Tou-san." said Naruto sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"I admit this exercise is very easy, but even it took me a few minutes to learn it, while you mastered it in the first time. How did you do it?" asked Minato curiously with a smile

Naruto gave a small smile and decided to explain his father how he understood the exercise and its concept.

"I used my sensor skills in order to feel the way you used your chakra. You kept your chakra calm and concentrated it in a small proportion and used it to elevate the leaf, the key is not sending more chakra but in maintaining the flow." explained Naruto briefly

_"He indeed has a very keen sense of observation. Mikoto-chan was right, our son is indeed smart."_ thought Minato proudly

"So, you used your sensor skills to determine the exercise and it concepts. Don't you think it was cheating?" asked Minato skeptically, he really wanted to know what beliefs his son had on becoming a shinobi and as such was testing him.

"Not at all. Kaa-chan told me, that shinobi use every tool they have to complete their objective. My sensor ability is my tool and if I use it for the greater good and protecting my precious people then I don't think I have cheated, Tou-san." said Naruto honestly

"Very well said. Always use the tools you have, no matter how small or insignificant they seem, they'll keep you alive." said Minato sagely

"Hai" said Naruto with a nod

"Now, since you are very good at controlling your chakra we will elevate your training to the next level." instructed Minato

"What is it, Tou-san?" asked Naruto curiously, he really was excited to see what new challenge his father had for him.

Minato chuckled a little on hearing his son's curious tone, he then walked towards a nearby tree and started walking on it just with the help of his legs.

_"Let's see you try this time"_ thought Minato with a smirk

At first Naruto was shocked when he saw his father climbing the tree, but then he calmed his nerves. Every jutsu and technique had a way, he just had to find that key. He knew it won't be easy, but if he could keep his cool he could surely find a way.

Suddenly an idea popped in his head and he decided to try it.

Minato expected his son to jump and cry out in surprise but Naruto was acting strangely.

His son had strangely come forward and had now put his left hand on the tree and had closed his eyes. Minato didn't know what Naruto was doing.

_"What is he doing?"_ thought Minato confusedly

He observed Naruto, he was trying to focus very hard. It was as if Naruto was trying to find an answer from the tree itself, his son really was a strange one. Minato didn't know what kind of person his son was, he was totally unpredictable and for a shinobi that was a good trait as your enemy would never be able to estimate your moves.

Minato observed Naruto for a few minutes, he hadn't moved from his spot and was in the same position. Naruto's face was hidden behind the facemask, so Minato was not able to see his emotions but he could see that whatever his son was doing was something unique and something which Minato had never seen.

After a few minutes, Naruto opened his eyes and a wide smile cracked on his face, it was as if he had cracked a jackpot.

_"What's going on?"_ thought Minato in confusion, he was now sitting on top of the tree and was waiting for any type of response from his son.

He could just have asked his son, but from his experience as Naruto's father, Minato knew Naruto had very unique skills and was very different from the others. He had learned to walk when he was only a few months old, Naruto had his own ways and Minato wanted him to find his own path.

Naruto stepped a few meters back from the tree and stood straight.

_"Alright, here we go."_ thought Naruto firmly

He then made the Ram hand seal and now Minato was really curious as to what his son was up to.

_"WTF!"_ thought a shocked Minato, his mouth was wide open and his eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Naruto had slowly climbed each and every step of that 15 feet tree without stopping or using any of his hands. He didn't falter, he didn't lose balance, he didn't stop, he didn't lose focus.

He just climbed the damn tree itself in one single try.

_"What is he?"_ thought a shocked Minato

He was shell shocked on seeing his son standing right beside him, hanging upside down from the tree. The cool breeze was making his silky blonde hair flow freely.

Naruto was relaxed, it was as if he had accomplished a daily task.

"Yo" said Naruto after some time as he realized his shell shocked father was standing beside him with a shocked expression on his face.

"YO! That's all you have to say!" yelled Minato in shock

"Eh? Tou-san..." said Naruto in confusion, he couldn't understand what was the big deal. Why was his father so shocked?

"You don't have a clue do you?" asked Minato with a tired sigh, his son was really oblivious that he had mastered a Jounin level chakra control technique in his first attempt.

Minato could now clearly see that his son was a prodigy that came in ages. His sense of thinking, his calm behavior, his intelligence all very closely resembled that to the Nidaime Hokage.

Naruto really shared a lot of traits with Tobirama Senju.

"It was just a simple exercise Tou-san." said Naruto simply, he didn't know the truth.

"It was a Jounin level chakra control exercise which you mastered, BAKA!" said Minato loudly, but he was very proud of his elder son.

"Really?" asked Naruto happily

"Hai" said Minato with a wide smile

"YAHOO!" said Naruto happily and jumped from the branch and landed gracefully on the ground.

Minato was quite surprised that his son had even used to chakra to land gracefully, despite being so much happy and excited.

_"Scratch that he is not at all like Nidaime-Sama, Oh Shishui, your nephew has gone on you."_ thought Minato with a chuckle

"Naruto-NICHAN!"

Naruto turned around and was soon knocked over the ground by a powerful push. He crashed on the ground with a thud.

_"Ow, that hurt man!"_ thought Naruto with a groan

Naruto looked up and saw his younger brother Itachi sitting on his chest with a vibrant smile on his face. His cereluen blue eyes were boring into Naruto's soul.

_"Figures, leave it to him to do something reckless."_ thought Naruto bemusedly

He brought his right hand forward and poked his younger brother in the forehead.

"Ow, what was that for!" yelled Itachi in discomfort and rubbed his forehead with his little hands.

"That was for dropping me on my ass!" said Naruto with mock anger in his voice

"Watch your tongue, NARU-CHAN!" came a stern voice

_"Oh, please anybody but her!"_ thought Naruto fearfully

He really was afraid when his mother got angry, he had a nasty habit of swearing sometimes and everytime his mother used to give him a _proper lesson._

Itachi got a very devious smile on his face and decided it was payback time. Before Naruto could catch him Itachi ran back towards Mikoto quickly.

"Kaa-chan..." said a teary eyed Itachi and ran towards Mikoto

_"Oh no!"_ thought Naruto fearfully

"Kaa-chan...Niichan...said meany words to me." said Itachi so _innocently_

"You little shit!" said Naruto in shock as his brother just landed him in a deep mess.

Mikoto came forward and gave Naruto three quick bops on the head.

"OW!OW!OWW!" yelled Naruto as he got a light bops on the head by his mother.

"Naru-chan...how many times have I told you not to swear." said Mikoto sternly

_"Payback is fun."_ thought Itachi happily and stuck his tongue out at Naruto as he watched his elder brother being scolded by their mother.

"Hmmm...I do wonder jumping on your older brother isn't always nice." said Minato from behind Itachi

"TOU-CHAN!" yelped Itachi in surprised and fell down.

"Now..now..Itachi-kun...let's _talk_" said Minato with a devious smirk

"Oh SHIT!"

* * *

The Namikaze family sat in a small circle in the shade of the trees of the training ground.

Mikoto had brought snacks for all of them as it was morning and she felt that the family must be hungry.

Naruto and Itachi sat on the opposite sides, both had a bump on their heads though Naruto had slightly a larger bump. Both the boys were glaring daggers at each other as if saying it was the other's fault.

Mikoto giggled a little on seeing the reactions of both her sons, while Minato just settled for a small smile.

"So Naru-chan...I'm really proud of you. You have done a very splendid job today." congratulated Mikoto with a warm smile

"Yeah...Niichan..you were awesome!" said Itachi happily

Naruto ruffled his younger brother's hair with a smile, despite their little mischief both of them really loved each other.

"I still don't get how you learned the exercise Naruto?" asked Minato curiously

"Every Jutsu and technique has a weakness, I just had to find the key to this technique." said Naruto sagely

"That's all true, but I still don't get how you did it? I never explained the tree walking exercise to you in the first place." said Minato curiously

Naruto looked at his father, he had assumed his father had known what he was doing. Guess he was wrong, so he decided to explain it to him. His mother and brother were also looking at him curiously, both of them really wanted to know how he did it.

"I used my sensor ability." said Naruto simply and began the explanation

"Explain." said Mikoto curtly and Naruto nodded

"I used my sensor skills in order to feel the life force of the tree. Every living thing has life force and chakra, I slowly realized the tree's life force. It was very calm and I adjusted and sent chakra to my feet in the same relative proportion as the tree's life force so that I can connect with the object without any difficulty. As a result I never lost my balance as I was in perfect sync with the tree and reached the top. It was all about balance and maintaining control with the object." explained Naruto briefly

_"I wish I was a sensor!"_ thought Itachi with a pout, he didn't understand what his brother had just said but he was still amazed by the abilities that his big brother possessed.

_"He really has very good observation skills and the ability to understand things better."_ thought Mikoto proudly

_"He was right, he has the brains for taking part in a war and protecting the village."_ thought Minato proudly

Naruto looked at the amazed faces of his family members. His little brother was looking at him as if he was a god, his mother had a few tears in her eyes while his father had a proud smile on his face.

"You really are one of a kind Naruto. Keep practicing like this and you'll sore high." said Minato happily

A small smile came on Naruto's face, this was what he always wanted. His entire family together with him, he knew his father had done so much for him today and he decided to say something which he had never said before.

"Thank you...Tou-chan." said Naruto with a small eye smile

Minato's eyes widened when he heard that suffix. It had been so long since he had been this close to his elder son, he slowly went forward to hug Naruto.

Naruto hesitated for a second when his father came close to hug him, but his mother gave him a small encouraging smile and he accepted his father's hug.

Minato hugged Naruto tightly, words couldn't describe how proud and happy he felt. He had such a good family, a lovely wife and two good sons. What else would a man want from life?

He knew there was still a long way to go in improving their relationship but he felt as if this was the first step.

They broke the hug after a few moments, Naruto tried to give the best smile he could. He still was not comfortable so much but for his mother and father's happiness he wanted to try.

And the smile which both his father and mother had on their faces was well worth it.

But then Naruto noticed something that made him a little sad.

His younger brother, Itachi was sitting in a corner. He was trying to give a fake smile but Naruto knew his brother was hurt and was feeling a little jealous.

"You probably hate me, huh?" asked Naruto kindly, his voice was calm and quite. It was as if he understood his younger brother and his feelings.

Mikoto wanted to speak something, but Minato put a firm hand on her shoulder. Minato knew both the brother's were sharing their feelings and it was not wise to interrupt, they would explain Naruto's situation to Itachi later.

"That's not how I feel!" said Itachi quickly

"Its alright, you can tell me your feelings." said Naruto gently

Itachi tried to speak something but when he looked in his brother's kind eyes, whatever excuse he was gonna give just faded away.

"Father and mother only care about you Niichan." said Itachi sadly and dropped his head low.

Mikoto felt really sad when she heard that, she loved both her sons equally, both of them were precious to her. Thankfully Minato was standing beside her and telling her to keep calm and Itachi was a small child.

"I'll let you in on a secret." whispered Naruto in Itachi's ears

"What?" asked Itachi confusedly

"They only one they always talk about is you. Even the villagers look up to you and talk about you." said Naruto with a kind smile

"Really?" asked Itachi with surprise

"Hai, and you can always count on me loving you because you and I are flesh and blood. I am always going to be there for you, even if its just as an obstacle for you to overcome." said Naruto warmly and ran his hand through his shocked younger brother's hair.

_"Naruto..."_ thought Mikoto and Minato happily on seeing the love between their children.

Naruto really was a very good big brother, he didn't scold his younger brother in fact he understood him and was trying to comfort him. Both the parents were proud of their elder son, he really was a good son.

"Niichan..." said a teary eyed Itachi

"Even if you do hate me...That's what big brothers are for!" said Naruto happily

That was enough, Itachi soon jumped on Naruto and hugged him more tightly. Tears were freely flowing from his eyes, he really loved his big brother.

No matter what happened he was always there for him, guided him, helped him, took care of him and always got him out of trouble.

"I don't deserve you...Niichan" said a crying Itachi

Minato and Mikoto had already came forward and had already hugged their younger son and were trying to comfort him.

"Nah, Its fine..I'm an awesome big brother aren't I?" joked Naruto playfully

"Hai" said Itachi with a small smile

Mikoto came forward and picked up Itachi as he looked a little sleepy, while Minato stood by her side. She gave a light kiss to Naruto and thanked him for taking care of his younger brother. Naruto just waved her off and told her to take care of Itachi.

"Kaa-chan...you do love me?" asked Itachi tiredly

"Ofcourse...I and your Tou-chan love you too silly. You are the star of our eyes." said Mikoto with a few tears in her eyes.

A contented smile came on Itachi's face, as Minato wiped away his tears and slowly he went off to sleep in his mother's arms. Mikoto then waved goodbye and went towards the house while Minato and Naruto stayed back.

"Tou-chan..."

Minato turned around and was surprised to see a very stern look in Naruto's eyes.

"What is it?" asked Minato curiously

"You do remember the promise, right?" asked Naruto seriously

"Hai" said Minato clearly not understanding what Naruto was thinking.

Naruto looked at the small form of his brother, he looked so innocent in their mother's arms. All the doubts which Naruto had before were now gone, he was sure of one thing now.

"Itachi is going to be the bridge to peace...My Job is to be the pillar that supports that bridge." said Naruto deeply

Minato's eyes widened when he heard those words, was this really his son? He looked so mature and he had such a noble dream. It was as if Minato was looking at the main character of the book his sensei had wrote.

Minato saw the fire which Naruto had in his eyes and the amount of faith which Naruto had in his younger brother was astonishing.

"Itachi is the savior of this world and I'll protect him with my life." said Naruto with determination and went off to continue his exercise.

Minato was left behind, he was quite shocked and a realization had occurred in his head, one which he had forgotten about since a last time.

_"Naruto...are you the child of prophecy?"_

* * *

**Author's notes : Ok, another quick chapter done.**

**So what did the toads had to talk to Jiraya? You'll find out soon enough.**

**Now you see Naruto's sensor skills are greatly helpful in his training. Sensor skills are not just used to detect people's presence, they have many other uses which you'll see in this story.**

**Now you see Naruto is calm and tactical, but he is also funny, kind and caring.**

**For those of you that think Itachi is not loved equally by his parents. You are wrong, Minato and Mikoto love both their sons equally, its just kids at Itachi's age feel such way.**

**Isn't Naruto an awesome big brother?**

**Now, as you all can see Minato and Naruto's relationship is improving at a slow pace. But they are getting closer with each passing chapter.**

**I know the pace of the story is slow, but I plan to make it epic in length. I'm just trying to do everything properly. This is not an action fic where there is fighting, there will be some but this fic is based on real life situations and relationships so you will see a lot of drama.**

**I have really tried to keep the spelling and grammar as good and correct as possible. I don't have a Beta for this story (And probably will never have one), so please point out if I make any mistakes. I'll try my best to make it perfect.**

**I'll explain, why Kushina/Konan are not the pairing.**

**First is their age, they are very old to be Naruto's pairing. Second both of them have their own plot line which does not rely on romance, so anything romantic would seem forceful.**

**Second, this fic has a pairing of my choice. I chose this paring as I like these two characters together and the story won't just get side tracked for romance if these two are involved with each other.**

**I personally don't care if you like or don't like the paring, because it is a side plot. Try to read the story for its plot (I bet you'll enjoy the plot), but if you don't want to read it just because of pairing, be my guest.**

**There are plenty of other stories out there which may have your pairings. I am writing this fic for my own amusement and I am not going to bend against any reader's demands or else this won't be my story anymore.**

**Anyway, please tell your thoughts about this chapter..**

**Please REVIEW!**


	7. Precious Bonds

**Yo, I'm back with another chapter.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, I really liked them. Now as far as the plot is concerned I have a plan in mind.**

**For those who feel Naruto is not strong as he does not have the Kyuubi, be patient, Naruto has his own unique power which will be revealed shortly.**

**Now I'd like to make one thing clear. This story is based on the bonds between people and their feelings. Some of the scenes will make you laugh, some may make you sad, some angry and some may even make you cry. So don't say that some scenes are too dramatic, the story's main genre is drama after all. This is my story and what I say is final.**

**I'll be happy if you guys read this story for the plot, but if you wanna leave just because you don't like the pairing, then be my guest.**

**A special thanks to sanbi221, he has agreed to be the beta for this story.**

**Now enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Precious Bonds.**

**Beta'd by sanbi221.**

* * *

Jiraiya was bored.

He was sitting in the same place since the past few hours waiting for the Elder Toad to wake up. If not for the prophecy he would have already left the place.

Even Shima had left saying she couldn't wait any longer to hear some dumb old frog's prophecy and she had to attend to her precious cooking.

Of course this had led to a big argument between her and Fukasaku, which ended with Shima giving him a bop on the head and leaving grumpily.

So now he and Fukasaku stood in the vacant hall waiting for the elder to wake up.

Seconds passed, minutes started passing quickly and Jiraiya was getting angry with each passing moment. After finally waiting for another hour he lost it.

"WAKE UP YOU BAKA!" yelled Jiraiya at the top of his lungs.

"Jiraiya-boy, don't speak in such a tone to the great elder," warned Fukasaku sternly.

"I'm sorry sensei, but I have been waiting for the past 10 hours waiting for him to wake up," said Jiraiya frustratingly.

"I understand, but the only time the elder is even remotely awake is when he is hungry, or if a young female toad was dancing for him," said Fukasaku warily.

Realization struck Jiraiya, how could he forget that the geezer toad was very perverted.

_"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid,"_ thought Jiraiya frustratingly, and smacked his forehead repeatedly on his obliviousness.

Fukasaku just watched his students antics with an amused smile on his face, even after all these years Jiraiya acted childish most of the time.

He was quite surprised when Jiraiya jumped at the elder's throne and was now standing on his chest.

**"Henge."**

Immediately Jiraiya transformed into a very beautiful female toad and spoke in a sultry voice.

"Please wake up..," whispered the female toad, a.k.a. transformed Jiraiya seductively into the elder's ears.

The elder's eyes slowly opened, and when he saw a sexy female toad in front of him, a sly perverted drool came on his face, and he was sent flying back into the wall behind him.

He was knocked unconscious again but there was a large smile on his old face.

Jiraiya's henge was broken when Fukasaku gave him a hard bop on his head with his cane multiple times.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" yelled Jiraiya in pain

"You idiot, what did you do!" said Fukasaku angrily.

"Huh?" asked Jiraiya in confusion, he didn't understand why his teacher was angry.

"You knocked him out cold. He'll not wake up again for a few hours!" said Fukasaku frustratingly.

Jiraiya's eyes widened when he realized what his actions had done, he couldn't believe his own stupidity.

"NO!"

* * *

Naruto stood in the training field of his house.

Today was a new day and his training had been going very successful and effortless.

His mother had even said that he was a prodigy in hiding. That had made him a little happy, but he didn't let that get to his head, as his grandfather had always told him that ego can lead to a man's downfall.

He had mastered the tree walking exercise and could now run on top of the trees with ease.

Things also seemed to be getting a little better with his father, they could now stand beside each other. They even used to talk with each other a little more now and according to Mikoto that was a great development.

Naruto had decided that he would train as hard as he could in order to protect everyone in the village.

He could now understand why the village was so important.

He still remembered his time with his grandfather Kagami and the values which he had taught him.

* * *

(Flashback)

_Naruto was standing in front of the Naka River._

_Today he was spending time with his grandfather, he really liked his grandfather. The man was always kind to him, although he was stricter than anyone he ever knew._

_Kagami was a man of values and wisdom. He was a very calm person and was always fair to each person._

_Many people expected him to teach his grandson the various ninja arts and make him a strong shinobi. But Kagami had different thoughts._

_He wanted his grandson to understand what life was. He believed that instead of teaching his grandson how to use a kunai and kill a man, he should teach him how much valuable a life is._

_He wanted Naruto to experience the small joys of life which he never had due to fighting in the first great ninja war._

_Kagami had spent his entire life on the battlefield, he had seen countless deaths, he had fought, he had shed blood, cried, and had given everything to protect Konoha._

_He had lost many friends in war and he knew the horrors every war left on people. Not just those who fought in it, but those left behind: the children, the women, the parents, the friends, and the siblings._

_He knew Konoha was on the brink of another great ninja war, even though he was old, he was still one of the strongest, and the most experienced shinobi of the village. So he would have to participate in the fourth war of his life._

_A war changes a person in ways that nobody could ever imagine, and when he looked at his grandson his heart broke._

_The boy was so young, far too young for a war. Hell, he was not at all old enough to see bloodshed, and yet he would have to face them._

_Kagami knew he couldn't control Naruto's future but he still could make efforts so that his grandson's life turns out better than his own._

_"Hey Jiji, you were going to show me how to catch fish," said Naruto politely._

_Kagami was brought of his thoughts when he heard Naruto's voice, he looked at the curious face of Naruto and a small smile came on his face._

_He gently ruffled Naruto's sliky blonde hair and gave the signal to watch him._

_"Fishing is a very unique thing. It requires a lot of patience but you will enjoy it," said Kagami with a smile._

_"Teach me," said Naruto excitedly_

_Kagami chuckled a little on hearing his grandson's excited voice. Naruto really reminded him of Shisui, both the boys were similar to each other._

_"Alright, I'll show you," said Kagami calmly._

_For the next hour he taught Naruto everything he knew about fishing. The boy was listening to him with great concentration and interest which pleased Kagami._

_It had been a few minutes since they were trying to catch a fish and Naruto was getting a little anxious._

_"Why aren't we catching any fish?" asked Naruto with a pout._

_"We will catch some, don't lose your patience. A person must be calm in order to understand things better," said Kagami patiently._

_Silence followed for a few moments as both grandfather and grandson sat there in peace waiting for results. Both of them were sitting quietly and were enjoying the peace that nature was providing._

_Something was bugging Naruto and he decided to ask his grandfather about it._

_"Hey Jiji," said Naruto slowly. His voice was very low; it was as if he didn't like to talk about whatever subject he had in mind._

_"Hm..," said Kagami silently._

_"What is a war?" asked Naruto curiously._

_Kagami was quite surprised by Naruto's question, he looked at Naruto and he could clearly see Naruto was not at all enthusiastic about this subject. He gave a silent nod and was quite content that his grandson was different and was not like most of the children who would be too eager to become a hero and listen to war stories._

_"War is a situation when people forget about each other's feelings and fight for their own greed. Everyone claims that their war is for justice or for prosperity but there is no such thing. In every war people die. It doesn't matter whether you are rich, poor, strong, weak, or anything else. All of us share a common fate and that is death," explained Kagami briefly._

_"Then why do wars happen?" asked Naruto sadly._

_"Humans are very complicated Naruto. All of us have some darkness within us. Even you have darkness within you," said Kagami simply._

_"I..," said Naruto hesitantly._

_Kagami put a hand on Naruto's head and gave him a gentle smile._

_"But more than that you have a good heart, everyone has darkness but they also have light within their souls. It's just people have to find that light and understand each other, then maybe there won't be any more wars," said Kagami with a tired sigh._

_"Have you fought in a war?" asked Naruto hesitantly. If war was such a bad thing then it must have been very painful for his grandfather._

_"Yes, I have fought in three great ninja wars," said Kagami disappointingly. Many people would boast about how they fought in a great war, but the real soldiers knew there was nothing to boast about a war._

_"You must have been a hero," said Naruto curiously._

_Kagami chuckled a little on hearing his grandson's innocent answer._

_"Naruto I am not a hero. The real heroes are the ones who never made it back home and gave their lives to protect what was precious to them. Just like my sensei Tobirama Senju," said Kagami sadly, as he remembered his mentor._

_"You were the student of the Second Hokage?" asked Naruto in shock, making Kagami chuckle again._

_"Well yes, I was a part of his team," said Kagami with a smile._

_"What kind of person was he?" asked Naruto curiously._

_"Tobirama-sensei was a very odd person. He was very strict, but he also cared very much about the village, and everyone in it. He even gave his life to protect his team," said Kagami proudly._

_"How did he die?" asked Naruto sadly._

_"It was during the first great ninja war, our team was surrounded by a lot of skilled Kumo ninja. They were a part of the famous Kinkaku unit. We were outnumbered," said Kagami sadly._

_Naruto thought about the entire battle scene, his analytical mind had already started working. He had heard about this Kinkaku unit from his father, they were Kumo's best ninja._

_If his grandfather's team was surrounded and outnumbered then the only chance they had of escape was..._

_"He acted as a decoy, didn't he?" asked Naruto sadly._

_"How did you guess?" asked Kagami in shock._

_"There was no other choice, your team was outnumbered and surrounded. Even if they didn't know your exact position, your conditions were not good. Suppose if you can make a surprise attack on the enemy, but you will soon be overpowered as you didn't have the numbers, and which would lead to total massacre of your team. This left only one option, one member had to act as a decoy to buy the others time to escape. It had to be the strongest person of your team as the Kinkaku unit is heard to be the best. Since the Nidaime was the strongest, he was the only logical option as a decoy, but that would...," explained Naruto strategically, but refrained from saying the last part as he knew his grandfather was quite close to the Second Hokage._

_"He thought exactly the same thing like me, but I was much older than him when I was in that situation," thought an amazed Kagami._

_"Naruto, you will make an excellent squad leader," said Kagami proudly._

_"But I don't want to kill anybody. I have a family; I love Kaa-chan, Itachi, Tou-chan, you, and Shisui-ojisan. But there are also others who may have a family like me, aren't there?" asked Naruto curiously._

_"I understand. I know exactly what you are feeling right now. Shinobi are protectors not killers," said Kagami seriously._

_Kagami looked at Naruto briefly, the boy sure asked a lot of questions. But it was natural, many kids his age were like that and since Naruto knew he had to fight in a war, he was anxious._

_Kagami was happy that his grandson considered him trustworthy to share his feelings._

_He knew these questions were very important in shaping Naruto's life and his beliefs, and as his grandfather it was his duty to guide him, and show him the right path._

_"Jiji, what is a village, and what are shinobi?" asked Naruto curiously_

_"A village is a place where people come together. It is a place where people put aside all their past differences and end the chaos. It is a place where the children and the old are protected, the young prosper. It is a place where people can spend their life in peace," said Kagami carefully._

_"And shinobi, what are they?" asked Naruto firmly._

_"Shinobi are people who endure and protect what is precious to them. Inside every shinobi of this village burns the will of fire," said Kagami simply._

_"Will of Fire?" asked Naruto curiously._

_"It's the unbreakable bond that every shinobi in the village has with each other. It gives us the strength to protect our village," said Kagami gently_

_"Do I have a Will of Fire too?" asked Naruto excitedly_

_Kagami chuckled a little and patted Naruto's shoulders._

_"Of course my boy. The Will of fire burns brightly in you," said Kagami proudly._

_"Thank you," said Naruto with a smile._

_"Naruto, first of all look at yourself rationally and know yourself, if you don't know who you are then you will put the lives of your comrades in danger," said Kagami sagely._

_"Hai," said Naruto firmly._

_"Can you fulfill one last wish of mine?" asked Kagami slowly._

_"Anything for you," said Naruto happily which brought a smile on Kagami's face._

_"Don't be hasty, you are still young. Your time to die will come, until that time, live your life to the fullest. Protect those who love the village, and those who believe in you, and pass the Will of Fire to the next generation. This is your duty," said Kagami seriously._

_Naruto gave a very determined gaze to his grandfather, and gave a small nod to him._

_"I promise you Jiji, as long as I live, I won't let anything happen to this village, and my family. I'll even give my life to protect them," said Naruto fiercely._

_A wide, proud smile came on Kagami's face, and he embraces Naruto in a warm hug._

_"You are the future of this village. I leave the rest to you," said Kagami gently._

_"Hai," said Naruto firmly and hugged his grandfather._

_"Sensei, I have finally passed your legacy and your will to the next generation," thought Kagami happily._

(Flashback end)

* * *

A small smile came on his face as he remembered what his grandfather had taught him.

_"I will never go back on my word,"_ thought Naruto with determination.

"What are you thinking, Naru-chan?" asked Mikoto kindly.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts; he looked up, and saw his mother looking at him. She was in her medic uniform indicating she had just returned from the hospital. She had Itachi in her arms and he was also looking at him curiously.

"It's nothing Kaa-chan," said Naruto sheepishly and scratched the back of his head with a small chuckle.

"Naruto..," said Mikoto with a giggle.

"Baka Nii-san..," said Itachi with a laugh

"What was that shrimp?" asked Naruto with narrowed eyes. A small tick mark had already formed on his forehead.

Naruto looked at his brother for a few moments, as Itachi gave him the best poker face. Naruto sighed, he knew he had heard something, but since he didn't have any proof he let it slide.

Itachi was quite surprised when Mikoto grabbed his small ear gently and brought him closer to her face.

"You've got quite a loud mouth" said Mikoto sternly

"Sorry," said Itachi cutely.

"(Sigh). What am I going to do with you?" said Mikoto tiredly making Itachi laugh.

Naruto watched both his mother and brother with an amused smile on his face.

_"Maybe this was what Jiji meant. I'll become a strong shinobi to protect my precious people,"_ thought Naruto happily.

"So, Naru-chan, I heard from Minato that you have mastered the tree walking exercise?" asked Mikoto curiously.

"Yes, I am now good at it," said Naruto modestly.

"Well would you like me to teach you the next exercise?" asked Mikoto kindly

"Hai," said Naruto excitedly.

Mikoto came forward and handed over Itachi to Naruto so that she could show him the exercise.

She gave Naruto the signal to follow him; both the brothers followed their mother until they reached the small lake of their house.

"What are we doing here, Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto curiously.

"Today I'll be teaching you the water walking exercise," said Mikoto seriously.

"Walking on water?" asked both Naruto and Itachi in shock.

Mikoto giggled a little on seeing the shocked faces of both her sons.

"Well yes, comparatively to tree walking this exercise is a lot harder. It won't be easy to master Naru-chan," said Mikoto with a challenging smirk.

"Bring it on," said Naruto firmly.

"Alright. This training method is used to gain better chakra control. To do this, the user has to be emitting a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of their feet, and using the repellent force to walk across the water's surface," explained Mikoto briefly.

"Can you show me how it's done, Kaa-chan?" requested Naruto.

Mikoto nodded and slowly channeled a small amount of chakra in her feet; she then gracefully started walking on the water of the lake.

Naruto and Itachi both were shocked when they really saw their mother walking on water.

"Nii-san, Kaa-chan..," said Itachi in shock.

"She is amazing," said Naruto in awe.

"Well, if you two are done praising me, I'd like to explain something to you," said Mikoto with a gentle smile.

Both the boys gave a sheepish smile to their mother. Naruto gave her a nod indicating he was ready to learn.

"With tree walking, you learned how to gather chakra in specific quantity in your feet. But water walking is very different," said Mikoto seriously.

"How so?" asked Naruto confusedly.

"Well, trees are stationery, and the energy you mentioned that trees have is also constant. Water is not like that, it is constantly moving and the flow of energy in it is irregular," said Mikoto briefly.

"So how can I walk on water, Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto intriguingly.

"First of all, focus chakra in your feet and try to walk on the water," said Mikoto with a devious smirk.

She knew what was going to happen, but she wanted to see if Naruto could figure out the exercise by himself. Plus his face would be hilarious.

Naruto gave a nod, Mikoto came forward and took Itachi back in her arms earning a small smile from the little boy.

Naruto did as his mother told him and put his right leg on the water, and then slowly put his left leg on the water too.

He was shocked when suddenly he lost his balance and fell into the cold water.

He could faintly hear both his mother and his brother's laugh coming from the surface.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. All he could see was blue color around him.

_"What should I do?"_ thought Naruto worriedly as he slowly started drowning.

He was scared, he didn't know what to do, he tried to move his hands but the water was far too cold, he felt his energy leaving his body.

His eyes started to close.

He could hear his mother's worried voice to come up but he couldn't.

_"Am I going to die?"_ thought Naruto fearfully.

He didn't want to die, at least not yet. He had so many dreams, so many things to do. He had made a promise to his grandfather.

His eyes suddenly widened when he realized something.

_"Naruto, you must look at yourself rationally and know who you are, otherwise you would put your comrades life in danger."_

He remembered the exact words his grandfather had told him.

What was he?

What was his power?

He had to protect everyone.

How could he become successful and make it back alive.

_"Water is not like that, it is constantly moving and the flow of energy in it is irregular."_

Realization struck him as he understood the meaning behind his mother's words.

He had finally found a way.

He quickly used his sensor abilities and to his utter amazement he could feel the energy in the water.

He could feel how different it was in each and every molecule.

He could feel the nature's power all around him.

The water was looking calm but the energy which it had in itself was enormous.

He felt the power of his own chakra and the stability it had in it.

He felt a strange sensation in his gut, he didn't know what this weird feeling was. It was as if he had a life force of his own.

_"It is not possible to reduce the amount of energy that water has, but maybe if I can increase the power of my chakra then I can control water,"_ thought Naruto analytically.

He had finally found a plan.

(With Mikoto)

She was scared to death, it had been 30 seconds since Naruto hadn't come out and she was just about to jump in the lake to rescue her son.

Even Itachi was yelling at his older brother to come out, a few tears had already formed in his eyes.

She was just about to jump when she felt the huge blast of chakra.

Violent waves started forming in the lake, a few even crashed near Mikoto and Itachi.

She quickly jumped and got her younger son out of the way. She hopped on a nearby tree in order to save Itachi from the waves.

She put her younger son on the branch, he was crying loudly as he was worried for his big brother. But Mikoto knew she didn't have time to comfort him, at first she had thought that Naruto was joking but it seemed he was in trouble.

She jumped towards the lake but was shocked when she saw what was in the center of the lake.

There stood Naruto on top of a 20 foot tidal wave.

His face was calm, his eyes were closed. His wet hair was falling on his face making him look more handsome. His clothes were drenched but what shocked Mikoto was that her son was standing on top of a tidal wave which was not stable at all.

In her stupor she forgot the small wave of water that was about to hit her violently.

But when she sensed the water coming towards her, it was too late.

_"Shit"_ thought Mikoto and prepared to substitute herself.

She was quite surprised when the sound of colliding water waves stopped around her, there was complete silence.

She slowly opened her eyes and was shocked to see every wave, small or big was standing still. It was as if they had been frozen.

She looked at Naruto and was shocked when she saw he had his hands spread and it looked as if he was controlling the waves itself.

_"Impossible,"_ thought Mikoto in amazement.

Naruto Namikaze was controlling water!

* * *

Jiraiya was crying his eyes out, this was blasphemy. How could the elder torture him like this?

Even Fukasaku was giving him a sympathetic look.

Finally after a few moments the elder slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

"Where am I?" asked the elder toad sleepily.

"Mount Myoboku," said Fukasaku tiredly, it was always like this. The geezer would always wake up and would have no idea where he was.

"You summoned me?" asked Jiraiya eagerly, his patience was over.

The elder toad looked at Jiraiya and gave a yawn. Jiraiya's eyebrows twitched a bit in annoyance.

"Who are you?" asked the elder in confusion.

"This is Jiraiya, JIRAIYA!" said Fukasaku irritatingly

"Oh...you have come. You made me wait a lot," said the elder toad with a chuckle.

_"I'm gonna kill him,"_ thought Jiraiya frustratingly

"The prophecy which you said you had to tell," suggested Fukasaku quickly as he sensed Jiraiya's anger about to burst.

The elder looked at the small toad in amusement.

"Who are you again?" asked the elder sleepily

_"Now I'm gonna kill him,"_ thought Fukasaku angrily.

The elder sensed both the young lings patience decreasing and he decided that it was enough joking for now.

"I have called you here as I had a dream that showed me a little bit about the future and the fate of the shinobi world," said the elder toad and closed his eyes.

"What did you see?" asked Jiraiya seriously.

"I am sure that the child of prophecy has been born in this world," said the elder seriously.

"But Minato is the child of prophecy," said Jiraiya in confusion.

"No, your student and you will be the ones that will be guiding this revolutionary," said the elder toad firmly.

"Did you see who it was?" asked Jiraiya anxiously as guiding that child of prophecy was his destiny and the goal of his life.

"A boy who has exceptional visual prowess and physical power. I haven't seen such a powerful child in ages. He will be a master of every ninjutsu, and will be one of the strongest shinobi in the world. He has a portion of the Sage of Six Paths power," said the elder shocking Jiraiya and Fukasaku both.

"What kind of power?" asked Fukasaku curiously.

"The power which only one man had in the past," said the elder toad and gave Fukasaku a knowing look.

_"It can't be..,"_ thought a shocked Fukasaku, only he knew the entire truth.

"But how can he have such a power? Where can I find him?" asked Jiraiya curiously.

"That is your destiny. I don't know the identity of this boy, but I can feel his presence in the shinobi world," said the elder toad.

"I'll find him, no matter what," said Jiraiya hurriedly and turned to leave but was stopped when he heard the elder toad's words.

"Jiraiya, there is something that you should know," said the elder toad in a dark tone.

Jiraiya was shocked when he heard the elder being so serious, it must be really important.

"That boy has a sea of darkness in him, waiting to be unleashed on the shinobi world. There will come a time when the boy would be asked to make a choice," said the elder toad warily.

"What kind of choice?" asked Jiraiya hesitantly.

"One that would determine the fate of the shinobi world," said the elder toad seriously.

Fukasaku could see how serious the elder was and he got very nervous. There was only one time in the past where the elder had gotten this serious and a great change had occurred after that, which changed the shinobi world.

"Jiraiya, if that boy loses himself to do the darkness then the world is doomed. There would be no force in nature that can stop him," warned the elder toad.

"Is he that powerful?" asked Jiraiya in shock.

"He will either become our greatest savior or our worst nightmare. One who would bring great peace or who would destroy the entire world," said the elder toad seriously.

"But how could he turn to darkness?" asked Jiraiya hurriedly.

"I sense a big event happening in his life, one which would change him forever. For better or for worse I don't know," said the elder tiredly, he had started to feel sleepy again.

"I will find him," said Jiraiya with determination.

"And I will not let him fall in darkness."

* * *

**Author's notes : Phew, one more chapter done.**

**I have finally got a Beta for this story and I'm very happy that he has agreed to help me with this story. He really corrected a lot of my mistakes and gave me some very useful tips for my grammar.**

**Now I know some of you guys feel there is not much action in this story like my other stories.**

**You see I'm taking this story at a slow pace and trying to develop the plot, relationships, training, etc realistically. There will be action in the story but it will take time and plot development. I will not just rush over to the meaty parts of this story.**

**I have been giving small hints every chapter, this chapter also had some hints. I leave it to your imagination to think whether who is the child of prophecy? And will he really turn dark?**

**The ones who have read my other story "The Sharingan Devil" know that I'm a little unpredictable and have a habit of doing the opposite.**

**I know the pace of the story is slow and the chapters are short but you will have to bear with it.**

**Naruto is going to become very strong and this is just the beginning of his legend.**

**Well that's it for this time.**

**Please REVIEW!**


	8. A Hero is Born

**Well, I bring another important chapter of this story.**

**Now I'll just clarify one thing, Naruto won't be becoming super strong in just a few days. It will take time and experience.**

**The next few chapters will be very brutal; they will mostly be Rated MA.**

**I was actually thinking about removing the romance genre from this story. After a lot of consideration, I have changed the romance genre to Hurt/Comfort.**

**I have my own reasons for doing this, because the plot which I have in mind is very emotional (not much romantic), some of the scenes will make you cry (I'm sure about that). Also I just don't feel very enthusiastic about a pairing right now, so that's been put on hold.**

**It will be there, but not much relevant until very late in the story.**

**Remember this; every single event I write in this story has its consequences, even the minute ones.**

**Now enough talk...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

**Beta'd by sanbi221**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**A Hero Is Born.**

* * *

The Konoha council sat in their war room, everyone was looking very tense.

Every clan head was in the war room, along with every important commander of the military forces. In the center of the room sat Minato, along with Hiruzen, Jiraiya, the Anbu commander, and Nara Shikaku.

The rest of the clan heads sat in their respective places.

Mikoto was sitting beside Kagami; she was the head of the medical corps.

But she was worried; her eyes were constantly fixed on one person in the room.

That person was none other than her elder son, Naruto Namikaze.

He was standing beside his uncle, Shisui in one corner of the room.

Now people would wonder why a 7 year old child was attending such an important meeting.

But there was a big reason, for Naruto being present in the war room. It was his duty to be there.

He was standing calmly in the room; he had been debriefed earlier as to why he had to be present.

He still remembered the talk, he had with his father.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_Naruto stood in his father's study room. It had a lot of books; his father loved reading books of various subjects. There were also a few Jutsu scrolls in the room, but Naruto was not allowed to see them, without his father's permission._

_His father was sitting in his armchair, he had a serious look on his face, but Naruto didn't miss his father's worried eyes._

_"Naruto, I have called you here for a specific reason," began Minato gently._

_He gestured his son to sit on the sofa in front of him. Naruto complied with his father's request, and sat in front of his father, and gave him a serious look._

_"What is it?" asked Naruto curiously._

_Minato bit his lip, he was nervous, how was he supposed to tell his son, he was just a 7 year old child. He should be playing, and enjoying his childhood._

_But it seemed fate had other plans._

_"Naruto...the war is now imminent. The enemy has started mobilizing their forces," said Minato gravely._

_Naruto was very sad after hearing this; he didn't want a world war. It would lead to so much destruction, and countless innocent lives would be lost._

_"I see," said Naruto sadly._

_"I know how you feel. Believe me, if it was in my hands, I would have stopped this war," said Minato gently._

_"I know, Tou-chan. I understand, what do you need from me?" asked Naruto seriously._

_He knew his father needed him right now, his village needed him. Despite being a pacifist, if a war was imminent, he would not hesitate to protect his home._

_Minato felt proud when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes, he didn't say it, but something in his heart told him, that his son was going to change the future of the shinobi world._

_"There is a tradition that has been followed by our village since the Nidaime's rule" said Minato slowly._

_"What is this tradition?" asked Naruto seriously._

_"During war times, every clan of Konoha has to send its heir and all of its shinobi to fight. It's a custom which has been followed since the first great ninja war," explained Minato briefly._

_The whole situation now became clearer to Naruto._

_"And since I'm the elder son of the Fourth Hokage, as well as the first heir of the Namikaze clan, I have to go the front lines," deduced Naruto analytically._

_A proud smile came on Minato's face. His elder son was indeed very smart._

_"Yes, it is to show the faith and loyalty of the clan to the village. It was a rule made by Nidaime-sama," said Minato seriously._

_"I'll go, but Tou-chan, please promise me one thing." said Naruto in a choked voice._

_He couldn't stop the tears that were slowly started to build in his eyes. His little heart was scared. He was just a 7 old year old child after all._

_The thought of going to a world war scared him. The thought of losing his father, his mother, and his little brother made him more depressed._

_He just couldn't bear with the thought of not seeing his family again. He wouldn't lie to himself, he was not invincible, nor was he immortal, or a very strong fighter._

_He knew anything could happen in a war, but he just didn't want to die yet._

_Minato sensed his son's pain, and came forward. He put a hand on his shoulders in order to give him some comfort._

_"Please don't let anything happen to, Kaa-chan and Itachi. Don't ever send my little brother in this war, even if I die-," said Naruto but was cut off._

_"You're not gonna die, you will come back alive," said Minato firmly._

_"I will, but you know anything can happen. I never asked something from you, but please grant my request this time," said Naruto gently._

_"I will, I'll take care of your mother, and your brother," said Minato seriously_

_"Promise me," demanded Naruto_

_Minato looked in his son's desperate eyes, Naruto wouldn't admit it, but he was still far too young to fight. But he had no choice, they were up against an overwhelming enemy force, and Konoha needed every man to fight._

_Even if they were young kids._

_This was the harsh reality of the shinobi world._

_Naruto's generation was the youngest out of all the previous generation, who were going to fight in a world war._

_"I promise," said Minato truthfully._

_"I love you and I'm proud of you," said Minato with a sad smile._

_Naruto embraced his father tightly; these past few weeks had brought him a lot more closely to his father. Minato hugged his son tightly; a few tears had also slipped from his eyes._

_He loved his son very much, despite everything, he was his blood. And Minato knew he was sending him straight into the gates of hell._

_Naruto thought about everything he and his father had shared._

_He didn't know what these feelings were. Was it respect, maybe, was it love?_

_He looked in his heart, and the answer was pretty clear._

_Naruto Namikaze did love his father dearly._

_Both the father and son would stay like that for a few hours, letting out their feelings for each other._

_However both the men didn't notice a sad pair of Sharingan eyes that were observing them intently._

_Nor did they see the tears that were falling from Mikoto's eyes._

(Flashback end)

* * *

A lone tear slipped from Mikoto's eyes, but she quickly wiped it away before anyone could see.

However, her pain didn't go unnoticed by her father.

Kagami put a hand on his daughter's shoulders, and gave her a comforting smile.

"It'll be okay..," said Kagami gently.

"Hai," said Mikoto slowly.

Both the Uchiha were brought out of their talk when they heard Minato's voice.

"All of you have been summoned here for a reason, which most of you are aware of," said Minato firmly

He received various nods in return. Naruto just stood in a corner, and was observing his father closely.

"The Fourth Great Ninja war has begun," announced Minato seriously.

Murmurs started to build up in the war room; everyone was a lot tenser now. However, Minato silenced them by raising his chakra.

"Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri seemed to have formed an alliance, and have formerly declared war on us," said Minato calmly.

"How dare they…"

"This is an outrage…"

"We should make them pay…"

Numerous shouts could be heard in the room, Naruto could feel a lot of KI being leaked. He felt very uneasy as he was not familiar with so much killing intent.

His parents had trained him, how to bear with KI, but he was still learning, and hadn't mastered how to maintain a calm facade.

However, he did try his best to look unaffected, but a little worry could clearly be seen in his eyes.

"SILENCE!"

Minato's angry voice echoed in the entire room, everyone could fee his KI, and immediately shut their mouth.

However Nara Shikaku, who was the head of the Nara clan, as well as the Jounin commander wanted to ask a few questions.

"Hokage-sama, permission to speak," requested Shikaku formally.

Minato gave a nod; everyone looked at the Nara curiously. It was known to almost everyone in Konoha that Shikaku was the most brilliant strategist, and everyone respected him.

"What is our situation on our alliance with Suna?" asked Shikaku seriously.

Minato gave a tired sigh, he knew this was coming, and unfortunately this was where things were going to get worse.

"They have decided to stay neutral in this war. Suna suffered the worst in the previous war, and the Kazekage is not willing to participate in another war so soon. However, he has promised that Suna is not against Konoha, but they would not join our side, or the enemy's," explained Minato briefly.

Another round of angry shouts continued for 5 minutes, as everyone was furious on hearing Suna's decision. Only the elders, Danzo and Hiruzen remained calm, as they knew there were no alliances during war time.

"We should declare war on them too," said Tsume Inuzuka, the head of the Inuzuka clan angrily.

"That would worsen our situation, Tsume-san. We are already at war with 3 hidden villages, adding another village as our enemy is not our best choice. Suna has denied us any military support, but they have secretly agreed to provide us a small supply of weapons and supplies," said Minato with a sigh.

"That's just their effort to prevent us from not declaring war on them," said Hiashi Hyuga arrogantly.

"That may be, but any help is appreciated, Hiashi-san. Also I have some good news too," said Minato a little happily.

A lot of member's eyes sparked in hope on hearing their Hokage's words.

"The rebel forces that are opposing that Mizukage in Kiri, have agreed to help us," said Minato encouragingly.

A small smile came on some of the member's faces, they felt a little relived, however some of the older breed knew there was a catch.

"What do they want in return?" asked Danzo neutrally.

He hated the entire situation, Konoha was in danger, and this was all due to their Hokage's incompetence. If only he would have been Hokage...

"They want our support in their war against the Mizukage, after the end of this war," said Minato truthfully.

Before another discussion could start, Hiruzen spoke quickly.

"This is a difficult choice; we don't know what condition our village would be in, after the war. But we have no choice, the rebels have promised us 3000 of their shinobi to aid us in this war. Many of them are from bloodline clans," said Hiruzen tactically.

That did it; Hiruzen could clearly see the greedy faces of his teammates. Almost everyone was now agreeing with the proposal, as shinobi who possess a Kekkai Genkai were very powerful.

"This is a logical choice, who is the leader of these rebels?" asked Inoichi Yamanka curiously.

"Mei Terumi, she is a formidable Kunoichi who has been leading the rebel forces of Kiri, for a quite few months. As far as we know, her exploits and tactics have severely weakened the Mizukage's rule," said Minato honestly.

"We agree with Hokage-sama, we shall accept the offer of the rebel forces," said Danzo a little too happily.

_"Danzo, you are a sick bastard,"_ thought Minato disgustingly.

He knew Danzo had already started thinking of ways of getting the bodies of the Kekkai Genkai shinobi of the rebels of Kiri. But even an evil man like Danzo was needed right now.

Despite his agenda, he too wanted to protect Konoha, and had a great experience of three ninja wars.

Minato had to bitterly agree to include Danzo in the war council.

"Now, Jiraiya-sensei has gathered a lot of information about the enemy. He'll explain what information he has got from his spies," said Minato seriously.

Everyone looked at Jiraiya; the man was the best spy master in the shinobi world.

However Jiraiya's eyes seemed to be fixated on Naruto, it was as if there was something in the boy that was attracting Jiraiya to him.

Hiruzen elbowed his student slowly and brought him out of his daze. The third Hokage just sighed on his student's antics.

Even though Jiraiya acted like an idiot sometimes, he was a powerful ninja and out of all his three students, Hiruzen was only proud of Jiraiya.

His prized student Orochimaru, had already turned traitor, and left the village. He had such high hopes from the man, but he had failed him.

Next was his student Tsunade Senju, she was the best medic in the world. But after her brother, and fiancé's death, she had left the village. She had also failed Hiruzen.

Hiruzen was stopped from getting depressed further as Jiraiya started his explanation, of the enemy forces.

"Since the past year, I had been keeping an eye on Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri. The Tsuchikage and the Raikage were the ones who started this plot, and later on the Mizukage joined too," said Jiraiya calmly.

"It seems Iwa and Kumo have still not let go of their shameful defeat in the past war," said Takane Kurama tiredly.

"Yes, they want to destroy Konoha, and take our land. They call their combined armies, as the "Heavenly Alliance"," said Jiraiya sarcastically.

Many members snorted on hearing such an amusing name, even Naruto couldn't suppress a small smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Mikoto. She just felt a little relived on seeing her son's smile.

"Do we have any information regarding their strength?" asked Shibi Aburame seriously.

"Their combined armies have a total of 45,000 battle ready shinobi," said Jiraiya shocking everyone in the room.

This was a very large enemy force, even though Konoha had a huge military force, it still was not enough in comparison to that of their enemy.

"How many battle ready shinobi, do we have?" asked Koharu curiously.

"If we combine the Kiri rebels, we have a battle ready force of 20,000 shinobi," said Minato shocking everyone.

The fear increased in the people's hearts, even though they had many powerful shinobi on their side, their army was not even half as big as that of their enemy.

"But our army is very small in comparison to that of the Heavenly Alliance," argued Choza Akimichi worriedly. He had even stopped eating his chips, and that was a rare thing that he did.

"That is indeed true, but they don't have our Will of Fire," said Hiruzen trying to increase their spirit.

"Hiruzen, wars cannot be fought by moral alone, we need people to fight and protect Konoha. Your foolish ideals are not applicable anymore," said Danzo harshly.

Hiruzen just gave another tired sigh, even though Danzo's words were like venom, they did have a truth in them.

Everyone's spirits broke, even Minato was depressed, and didn't know what to say. He was trying to find some words that would bring back his people's confidence.

"Don't give up…"

Everyone's eyes snapped up and, they searched for the person who had said those words.

All the people were quite surprised when a young blonde boy stepped up in the center of the room.

_"Naruto..."_ thought Minato and Mikoto worriedly, they didn't want their son to do anything stupid.

Minato was just going to stop his son, when Hiruzen and Jiraiya grabbed his shoulders. Minato looked at both of them seriously

"Sometimes, young kids can do something that we cannot."

These were the only words Hiruzen said, and Jiraiya nodded too.

"Naruto-san, you have no authority to say anything," said Hiashi irritatingly, how dare the brat speak in such an important meeting.

"I thought that Konoha was known for being just and allowed everyone to speak. And as far as my authority is concerned, Hiashi-san, I am the elder son of the Hokage of this village, and the heir of the Namikaze clan. That does give me right to speak," said Naruto curtly, his black eyes gave the Hyuga leader a firm gaze, which for a child was quite surprising.

The Hyuga leader just gritted his teeth but didn't say anything further when he noticed Minato's cold eyes on him.

"But today... I stand before you as a citizen of this village. Honorable council members, I request you to grant me permission to speak a few words," said Naruto formally.

Everyone was quite surprised that the Hokage's son, had indeed shut the Hiashi's mouth, albeit respectfully.

"Go ahead pup," said Tsume cheerfully, Naruto indeed reminded her of her of a certain redhead.

The other clan leaders also nodded, and Naruto gave a thankful bow.

"Unlike all of you, I'm not wise enough to know about war, nor do I know how to fight against such a huge enemy force," began Naruto.

All the members were listening to Naruto's words intently, it was as if the boy just knew how to get everyone's attention

"But what I do know is that, this village was the dream of our ancestors. They sacrificed everything, even their lives for this village. Right from the Shodaime, Nidaime, White fang: Sakumo Hatake, and each and every shinobi who fought, bled, and died for this village wants one thing..." said Naruto with determination.

Kakashi's eyes widened when he heard Naruto calling his father a hero, he didn't think that Naruto considered his father such a great man. That made him really happy, and he was grateful to the little boy. He could clearly see his fallen comrade Obito, in his sensei's son.

_"Is this really my son?"_ thought an amazed Mikoto, words couldn't describe how proud she felt of her little boy.

"What is it?" asked Homura silently.

"They wanted, what I'm asking from you right now. They wanted us to love this village and believe in each other, no matter what the odds may tell us, they never wanted us to give up. They wanted us to protect this village and build a future for the next generation at all costs. This was the dream and the last wish of every hero who died for this village. All the Hokage's, and every name on the memorial stone of our village never lost faith in us, they sacrificed their future to give us a new life," said Naruto passionately.

Minato, Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and even the Anbu commander were shocked when they saw a little hope returning in the people's eyes.

"If it ends here, then we would destroy everything they stood for," said Naruto firmly.

A few of the member's eyes widened in surprise, as some of them remembered their own parents, family members, friends who gave their life for the village.

"We're no different from each other, we are facing the same danger, and we all share the same feelings. The enemy is far greater in numbers than us, and if each one of us just fights for themselves, we will never win," said Naruto truthfully.

A few of the member's heads dropped in shame as they realized their mistake.

"True strength isn't in numbers; let me ask you one question. If even one of you doesn't have any answer for this question, then I would not say anything further," said Naruto sternly

"What is it?" asked Inoichi curiously; he was really impressed with the boy. He was an interrogator, and the way the boy was inspiring the people was astonishing, he was giving hope where there was none, he was showing light where there was darkness.

"Do you have someone who is precious to you? The one person for whom you would gladly give your life?" asked the boy innocently.

Every member of the council, except for Danzo and his teammates nodded.

"My Jiji, and my mother taught me that if there is someone precious to us, then and only then the true strength of a shinobi can emerge, I love this village, and every person in it with all my heart, and I'm ready to sacrifice everything, even my life for it. Are you ready to do the same, or will you give up?" asked Naruto seriously.

Everyone's eyes widened when they heard the truth in the boy's words. Each of them thought about their family, their children.

What would happen if they gave up?

Would they sacrifice their future just because the enemy had a larger army?

They were further shocked when they felt a powerful burst of chakra in the entire room, they looked up and saw Naruto's entire body was covered in blue flames. His black eyes were shining vigorously

_"Such a powerful chakra,"_ thought Hiruzen and Jiraiya in shock.

_"His chakra is visible,"_ thought the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in amazement.

_"Is this boy real?"_ thought Tsume in shock.

_"Interesting,"_ thought Danzo and the elders.

_"His power is incredible,"_ thought Shisui and Kakashi with wide eyes.

Shibi didn't comment, but if one could see carefully, he too had his eyebrows up. While Hiashi was just silent, he was very angry.

_"That's my son,"_ thought Mikoto happily.

_"He'll grow up to be a great shinobi,"_ thought Kagami proudly.

_"You did, what I could not do Naruto. You instilled hope in your people. You will become a far greater Hokage than me. No father could ever ask for a better son than you,"_ thought Minato proudly.

**"Even if I'm the last one standing, I'll defend this village, and my family, until the end. No matter what happens, I'll never give up!"** yelled Naruto passionately.

His chakra then burst, the wooden floors cracked, and several cuts appeared on the tables. A powerful gust of wind flew through the entire room and everyone could see the power of Namikaze Naruto.

There was pin drop silence, in the room. Everyone was looking at each other, there was a fire burning in every person's eyes.

Everyone nodded, and a determined look came on their faces.

"WE CAN WIN!"

"LET"S SHOW THEM,"

"KONOHA IS STRONG,..."

"AS LONG AS WE HAVE NARUTO-SAMA, WE CAN WIN!"

Naruto was quite surprised when everyone was cheering for him.

The entire room erupted with loud clapping and cheers, people were cheering for the little boy.

Mikoto had a few tears of joy in her eyes; she couldn't control anymore and grabbed her son in a fierce hug. The chakra dissipated, and Naruto looked at his mother curiously

"Did I do the right thing?" asked Naruto curiously.

"Of course, silly, you were amazing," said Mikoto with a giggle.

"Nice kid, not too shabby," said Jiraiya with a proud smile

"Way to go there, blondie," said Tsume proudly

Many people came over and patted the little boy making him blush further in embarrassment. He suddenly felt a little awkward with being in the center of so many people.

"Do you see it, Minato?" asked Hiruzen with a knowing smile on his face.

"Yes, Sandaime-sama, we probably have found a good candidate for the next Hokage," said Minato proudly, Hiruzen agreed with him.

_"Perhaps, you are the child of prophecy,"_ wondered Jiraiya.

* * *

**Author's notes: Another quick chapter from me.**

**Wow, I did a double edition this week.**

**Now before some of you complain, about the short length of the chapter, I want to say something.**

**First of all this chapter has been divided into 2 parts, this chapter focused entirely on Naruto's growth. His will, his passion, everything.**

**This was one of the founding chapters of this story.**

**The villagers will now truly look up to Naruto. He will be an icon, one which would greater than his father. But that will take time.**

**The more serious issues will be revealed in the next part of this chapter.**

**Now, the Fourth Great Ninja war in this story will be a lot more different than Canon.**

**It will be exactly like a real war, it will be painful, horrible, and many people will die. Character deaths will happen (Yes, even some of the main characters). It will be an emotional roller coaster ride.**

**This war won't be like Canon, where Naruto comes, and kicks ass. There will be lot of twists in this war, technology, weapons, and many tactics. It will be a real world war.**

**Just a hint, Naruto won't be joining the regular forces.**

**This story will also NOT have a Naru/Saku, Naru/Ino, Naru/Hina.**

**Naruto's pairing will be someone which you have never seen. She is one of the best female characters in the history of manga (At least for me).**

**Now I believe I have given a final statement on the pairing issue, so its solved.**

**I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

**Hope you guys liked it.**

**Please Review!**


	9. The Tactical Plan

**Yo, I'm back again...**

**Thanks for all the reviews, I really liked your positive responses.**

**Wow, after last chapter, you all consider Naruto to be such a great hero...**

**But is he, really a hero, or a monster waiting to be unleashed?**

**I wonder, if your opinion will change, as this story develops further, A few years back, I loved Obito, he was so fucking awesome, but now look how one traumatic event changed him into a harbinger of death, I wonder how Naruto will turn out,..(Evil Laugh XD!)**

**As far, as the story is concerned, it will be moving at a slow, and believable pace.**

**But there is one good news though, the chapters, after the chapter 10, will be a little longer now, around 6k-7k words.**

**So enjoy...**

**Beta'd by sanbi221...**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**The Tactical Plan.**

* * *

Jiraiya stared at the young blond boy, in the center of the room. He was clearly impressed with the way, he motivated the council.

There was a fire burning in everyone's eyes, the desire to win, the will to protect their home, and precious people was clearly visible in every shinobi's eyes.

He saw Naruto hugging his mother, but something seemed off.

Jiraiya looked closely, and his veteran eyes saw something that shocked him. He had fought in three wars, had seen a lot of evil, even his best friend had succumbed to darkness.

And if one thing Jiraiya clearly remembered about Orochimaru, was his friend's devious smile.

The smile that sent shivers down his spine, the smile that was meant to deceive people, and the smile that showed the darkness within his friend.

And right now..

_The same smile was on Naruto's face!_

Naruto seemed happy, his face was showing feelings of joy.

But what was the mystery that could be seen, in his dark black eyes?

It seemed to represent something dark, something scary.

_"As time passes, and the boy grows, his darkness will increase. His desire to protect is far greater than any person I have ever seen, but his desire to kill is even greater. He has a good soul, but I sense something very dark inside him. The more his visual prowess will increase, the more darker and dangerous he would become..."_

A small shiver ran down Jiraiya's spine, he still couldn't forget a single word, the elder toad had said when he was alone with him. What if, Naruto was truly the child of prophecy?

That thought made Jiraiya relieved, as well as worried at the same time. The boy had a good soul, but he was very mysterious, and Jiraiya never liked mysterious as they always had a dark side.

He looked at the boy, and now the smile was gone.

It was replaced by his innocent smile once again.

_"What darkness, do you have inside, Naruto?"_ thought Jiraiya warily.

* * *

(Grass Country)

In a small room, sat 5 figures in a small circle.

There was pin drop silence in the room, one could even hear the small noise coming from the wooden floors.

In one corner, of the room sat the Sandaime Raikage, his boisterous figure, and his presence could be felt in the entire room. However he was not the only person, who had such a powerful presence.

Beside him sat the, Tsuchikage. Onoki, was sitting seriously, and for the first time he was not complaining about his back pain.

Konan of the Akatsuki sat opposite of both of the Kage's, beside her was the Mizukage.

She could feel Yagura's as well as the Sanbi's (Three Tails) power. The man was a very strong Kage, and a Jinchuriki too.

On her opposite side, sat the most evil person she had ever met.

Orochimaru was sitting calmly in his chair, but everyone could see his devious snake like smile, and frankly it was disgusting.

"So, Orochimaru, we have prepared our armies, and they are now almost ready. It's time for you to play your cards," said Onoki sharply.

Orochimaru deviously licked his lips with his snake like tongue, which irritated almost everyone in the room.

"Of course, Tsuchikage-dono, I always keep my word," said Orochimaru with a twisted chuckle.

"I beg to differ," said the Raikage curtly.

"I'm hurt, Raikage-dono, you really don't trust me?" asked Orochimaru, in a sad voice.

Nobody gave him an answer, which made the Snake Sannin sigh in disappointment,

"I'll show you, that I am indeed with you in destroying Konoha. Let me show how powerful ally I am," said Orochimaru with a smirk.

He made a few hand seals, and suddenly 5 coffins rose from the ground.

Every Kage's eyes widened in shock, when they saw what was in that coffin,

Orochimaru started chuckling madly, and clasped his hands together in excitement.

"Gentleman, I present to you the greatest warriors, ever to be born in this world," said Orochimaru excitedly

_"He finally learnt how to do it, "_ thought a shocked Konan, but she did not show any emotion on her face.

"That's…" said Onoki in shock.

Even the Raikage took a step back in fear, when he saw the person's in that coffin. Even he was no match for these 4 veterans.

"Edo Tensei?" said the Mizukage in amazement.

The figures slowly stepped out of the coffins, and now everyone could feel the power of these shinobi. However one coffin remained closed.

There stood in front of them, the magnificent 4, they were the best warriors of their time.

"Hashirama-dono..?" asked Onoki in shock,

Onoki's eyes were wide as saucers, because there stood in front of him Hashirama Senju.

The God of the shinobi, the man who was said to be the strongest shinobi to be born in this world. The strongest Kage of all times, and also the First Hokage of Konoha. He was a master of wood style, and was said to be the greatest medic ever to be born in this world.

Beside him stood his brother, Tobirama Senju.

The Second Hokage of Konoha, and the greatest water style user of all times, he could create water from thin air, and was a master of teleportation.

Yagura's eyes gleamed a little in excitement when he saw the white haired Senju.

The third person was none other than Mito Uzumaki, she was the wife of Hashirama Senju. She was also one of the strongest females of the Uzumaki clan. Her power was immense, and she also had the ability to even subdue the Nine-Tailed Fox.

The last person was none other than Sakumo Hatake.

The White Fang of Konoha, the man was said to be stronger than the Sannin, and was one of the most powerful shinobi of the hidden leaf village.

"Is this really them?" asked the Raikage suspiciously.

"The one and only, I present to you, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki Senju, and Sakumo Hatake. The strongest shinobi of the Hidden Leaf," said Orochimaru proudly.

He had devoted years of his life, in perfecting this Kinjutsu (Forbidden Technique), and now he was getting excellent results.

"How do we know that you can control them?" asked Yagura dangerously.

"I can control them, they can fight on our side, and help in destroying Konoha. Just imagine the faces of Konoha's shinobi when they have to face their greatest heroes in battle," said Orochimaru with an evil chuckle.

All the Kage's, had a devious smile on their faces, as they realized the damage they could do to Konoha.

"Who is in that last coffin?" asked Konan, firmly.

"Well, that's a secret, you'll find out when the time is right," said Orochimaru mysteriously.

"You will tell us, right now!" demanded the Raikage angrily

"Is that a threat? You do remember that I can control these four, it is not wise to threaten your allies," said Orochimaru darkly, his KI flared in the entire room.

Everyone took a step back in fear, they knew even if they were allies, Orochimaru was a dangerous man, and if he could control these 4 legends, then it was wise to have him on their side.

"We'll let it slide for now," said Onoki bitterly. He hated submitting to this young man, but his goal to destroy Konoha was more important.

"But we do want to know about the identity of this person. Don't test my patience," warned Yagura darkly.

"I promise, when the time is right, you will find out who it is," said Orochimaru sincerely.

_"I can't reveal my trump card, right now!"_ thought Orochimaru bemusedly.

"Kage's, Leader-sama wants to know your strategy for deploying our armed forces," said Konan seriously.

Onoki and Yagura, gestured the Raikage to speak first. Meanwhile, Orochimaru made another hand seal, and all the coffins disappeared from the room.

"Konoha is right in the center of the shinobi world, that is a big advantage for our war." started the Raikage calmly

"What do you have in mind?" asked Konan curiously

"Before I state my plan, what is our current situation on the field?" asked the Raikage.

The Tsuchikage and the Mizukage nodded, as this was where their part came.

"I have divided my force of 15,000 shinobi into three divisions. One is stationed in Kusa, one in Taki, while the third division will serve as the backup of the first two divisions, and will constantly supply weapons, food, reinforcements, and all other important supplies to the front line troops," explained Onoki briefly.

"It was very easy to overthrow the people of Kusa and Taki it seems," said Orochimaru bemusedly.

"My armies are strong, we will not let anything get in our way. I have Kusa and Taki in my control, rest assured they won't be a problem," said Onoki firmly.

"Very well, you have Konoha surrounded from the west, do you have any special forces who could attack Konoha, secretly from Suna's borders?" asked Konan curiously.

"Yes, I have a small force of my Explosion Corps hiding deep in Suna's borders. They can bomb Konoha's borders within a few weeks," explained Onoki.

"Very good, you have a good strategy. Leader-sama will be pleased." said Konan stoically, while Onoki just nodded nonchalantly.

Konan then motioned Yagura to speak, the man just gave firm nod.

"I have divided my army into two divisions. One will continue to attack from Kiri, and the islands around it. The second division has already moved into Nagi Island and set up a base of operations there. They will attack Konoha from the south, while the first division will attack from the east. I also have a small force specialized in naval warfare, ready to engage the enemy. The total forces which I have spared for this war, are 15,000 shinobi," explained Yagura briefly.

"So, that surrounds Konoha from the east as well as the south, a wise move," said the Raikage with a smirk.

"What about your forces, Raikage-dono?" asked Orochimaru seriously.

"I have also divided my forces into 3 divisions, with each having 5000 shinobi in them. They will attack Konoha from the north, my forces will be ready for attack in a few days." said the Raikage seriously.

"So, we have surrounded the enemy from all sides. Konoha will be forced to stay on the defensive," said Konan analytically.

"What about the weapons your leader promised us, we have paid you a huge sum for them," said Onoki sternly.

Konan gave a nod, and unsealed a scroll. The thing which appeared made the Kage, as well as Orochimaru curious.

There was a weapon, it was made of metal and was pointed in shape.

"What is this?" asked Orochimaru seriously

"This weapon is called a missile, it was personally developed by Leader-sama. It can hit anything within 2000 yards, it can also destroy armored targets," explained Konan briefly.

"How strong is it?" asked the Raikage excitedly.

"It is more powerful than 500 combined explosive tags, if used precisely it can severely annihilate any advancing enemy forces. The blast would not leave any survivors," explained Konan stoically.

"Very good, it will be very useful in the war," said Yagura proudly.

Konan looked at all the Kage's, they were such fools. They were thinking about only their selfish interests, without even realizing the real intentions of the Akatsuki.

"What about the Jinchuriki?" asked Konan very carefully.

All the Kage's looked at her and Orochimaru with narrowed eyes, they didn't trust both of them. The only reason they were teamed up, was because they all shared one goal.

"They will fight too, but you shouldn't concern yourself with this. We can handle it," said Onoki dangerously, no one ever touched his weapons.

"Kumo's Jinchuriki will fight, but only on my orders," said Raikage sternly.

"I have no interest in fighting this war, my armies will do their job. Raikage, Tsuchikage, you have not forgotten our deal, have you?" asked Yagura sternly.

"Rest assured, you have our full support against the rebels," said both the Kage in unison.

"What about the support of your comrades?" asked Yagura curiously.

"The members of our group will provide tactical support when necessary," said Orochimaru seriously.

"Very well," said Yagura curtly.

_"And when you'll be immersed in the war, we will take your Jinchuriki, and bring peace to this world,"_ thought Konan firmly.

The Kage's, and the Akatsuki members discussed their plans for a few more minutes, before ending their meeting.

However all of them, didn't see a small bird observing them closely...

* * *

(Konoha War room)

Everyone was now sitting patiently in their seats, the inspirational speech had really boasted up everyone's morale.

Minato looked at his son proudly, now he had to fulfill the task for which Naruto was present in this meeting, but before he could begin, the door to the room was opened roughly.

A person walked into the room.

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and shock when they saw who this person was. Jiraiya had a smirk on his face.

_"So, you have finally come, still beautiful as ever,"_ thought Jiraiya warmly.

There stood in front of everyone, the Legendary Sucker, member of Team Hiruzen, and one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha.

It was none other than Tsunade Senju.

Hiruzen was shocked, he couldn't believe that his wayward student was here. Maybe there was still some hope left.

Tsunade stood in the center of the room, she was wearing a green haori which had gambler written on it, while her legs were covered by her grey pants. She had her hands on her hips, and had a serious look on her face.

Many men were looking at her large breasts with wide eyes. She looked so stunning despite being nearly 44.

"Tsunade-sama...," said many people in shock

Tsunade didn't give any answer, and just gave a stern gaze to Minato, who just gave her a very firm gaze and motioned her to sit.

Many people started asking questions, as Tsunade had indeed left the village for quite some time. Since she was a Sannin, she had the right to go wherever she wanted, as long as she remained loyal to the village.

But to see her back in the village, was a shock.

But it was also a great relief for many people, as Tsunade was a Kage-level shinobi, and was the greatest medic in the world. If she was back, then their chances of winning the war increased.

"Now I request everyone except, Shikaku, the elders, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sensei, Hiruzen-sama, Anbu commander, Shisui, Mikoto, Naruto, Kakashi and Kagami-san to leave the room. The purpose of this meeting was to explain the enemy's actions till now. The further strategy will be formed by us, and all of you will receive further instructions in due time from your superior officer," explained Minato briefly.

All the people nodded, and gave a deep bow to their leaders, and slowly started to leave the room.

After a few moments, everyone had left except for the people Minato had mentioned.

He looked at his son, now was the time.

"Naruto Namikaze, step forward!" commanded Minato.

Naruto gave a nod, and stepped forward. He now stood in front of his father, he got on his knees, and bowed in front of his father.

Tsunade looked at the boy curiously, this was the first time she was seeing the boy.

She was quite surprised that the boy looked more like his mother, but still he had Minato's blonde hair.

She was familiar with Minato and his wife Mikoto, Tsunade liked Minato as a Hokage, because he didn't force her to do anything, and allowed her to live her life on her own terms, even if it meant staying away from the village.

He understood her pain, and despite people's protest he allowed her to leave, and she was grateful for that, as it gave her time to grieve.

Now Minato wanted her help, she knew how much danger Konoha was in, despite loathing the village, she still had decided to stand by its side.

The only reason she was doing this, was because it was her brother's and lover's dream of protecting the village and becoming Hokage. And she would be damned if she let their dreams die.

So despite her personal feelings, she was here to fight as a shinobi of Konoha.

She gave a curt nod to Mikoto and Kagami, she respected both the Uchiha. They were some of the few Uchiha whom she could stand, as they were not stuck up pricks and gave her the respect she deserved.

She noticed Mikoto's worried eyes fixed on her son. A small smile came on Tsunade's face, she could understand how Mikoto felt. She also felt very sad for the little boy, he was far too young for this war.

Just like her brother was.

"As of today, you are being recruited as a shinobi of Konoha. You will serve as the Namikaze clan's heir, and will fight for the village on the front lines," said Minato loudly.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," said Naruto sincerely.

"However, you have a special responsibility towards this village, for which you will have to make sacrifices," said Minato slowly.

The people in the room looked at their Hokage curiously, while Mikoto narrowed her eyes. What was her husband up to?

"I am yours to command, Hokage-sama," said Naruto seriously.

He knew already, what his father was asking from him. But he feared what his mother would do, once the truth came out.

"You will not be joining the regular forces, instead..." said Minato hesitantly

This was a very dangerous decision he was making, he noticed Mikoto looking at him very sternly, but the plan which he had in mind required Naruto to do what was necessary.

"You will be a part of a special force, which I have formed in order to protect this village," said Minato seriously.

Naruto, now looked at his father and gave him a firm gaze,

"Tou-san, I accept this order, and will do my duty as a shinobi of this village," said Naruto sincerely.

Minato gave a short smile to his son, he then motioned him to come forward, and gave him a small paper chit.

"You will be joining the Boot Camp in a few days, where you will be trained ruthlessly. Right now I want you to find these two people, and bring them to me. Do you have any objections?" asked Minato seriously

Mikoto was just about to speak, when Minato gave her a cold look, and told her to keep quiet for a few moments.

Naruto took a deep breath, this was the biggest decision of his life. He knew the consequences of his actions, he looked at his mother.

She looked very worried, he gave her a small reassuring smile, and then turned to his father.

"I accept," said Naruto truthfully, he had made his choice.

"I'm proud of you, fight with courage and honor, and make your country proud," said Minato proudly.

"I will," promised Naruto

"Now, find these people before evening and report back to me," ordered Minato

Naruto nodded, and gave one last bow to his father. He looked at his mother, and told her it was okay, and was just about to leave, when he was stopped.

"What makes you think you can fight in this war?" asked Tsunade loudly.

She wanted to know why this boy was so willing to put his life on the line. He was far too young for a war, and he was sent into the special forces already? Did his father wanted him to get killed?

Naruto looked at the blonde haired woman curiously.

"Do you know what war is?" asked Tsunade sternly.

"I don't," said Naruto curtly.

Tsunade was quite surprised with the boy's answer, she expected him to protest, but it seemed he was speaking the truth.

"You think, just because your father believes in you, you can fight in a war. War is not a joke, the sound of explosions, people's screams, their fear, the KI, your friends will die, and the people you love will die in front of you. Would you still like to fight in a war?" asked Tsunade curiously.

She didn't know why she was saying all this, but she just couldn't see another young boy dying. And Naruto reminded her of Nawaki, her little brother. It just seemed like yesterday when Nawaki was in Naruto's place.

Naruto looked at her with sad eyes, something which made Tsunade avert her eyes from him.

"Tsunade-sama, you are right, I have no idea what war is, and neither do I want this war to happen. But if I don't fight, who will? My country, my comrades, my family...and my little brother needs me, and I won't back down," said Naruto firmly.

Tsunade gave a smirk, the boy sure had confidence. But now came the most serious question.

"You think you are strong enough to kill a person? Taking a life isn't easy…," said Tsunade sadly.

"I can do it," said Naruto coldly, his eyes showed that he indeed meant what he said.

Everyone was quite shocked when they heard him say such words.

**"I'm strong, far stronger than you will ever know. The power which I have, I will use it defend my brother, and I will kill each and every enemy, who tries to harm him. None of you know or can understand why I'm doing this, but I'm not a worthless coward who would give up, just because I am young for a war. Even if I'm alone, I'll kill the enemy myself,"** said Naruto darkly.

"Naruto, what is this nonsense?" asked Mikoto angrily, and slammed her hands on the desk, making a few cracks.

"You want to fight the enemy, all by yourself?" asked Shisui worriedly.

Minato looked at his son firmly, he knew his son was different. He knew it from the beginning.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya's anxiousness was increasing with each moment, it was just as the elder toad predicted. If Naruto was the child of prophecy, then...

"This world is merciless...but it is beautiful too. I lived a good life, being loved by my parents, my brother, and the villagers. I always ask myself, what did I ever do to deserve this? Just because I am the son of a Hokage? This may be true, but they believe in me, my brother believes in me, so I'll win no matter what!" said Naruto passionately.

"Naruto, you cannot do everything by yourself, you cannot defeat everyone by yourself!'' said Mikoto worriedly.

"If I can't, then I'll just die. But if I win, I'll live," said Naruto firmly, and went out the room.

Everyone was shocked after hearing this, and they were just looking at each other with wide eyes. Danzo was very impressed, that the boy had the traits of a killer shinobi, and was not a weakling. Maybe he could get the boy on his side...

Tsunade was also shocked by Naruto's determination, the boy was very different.

"Minato, what are you doing with my son?" asked Mikoto angrily.

Minato looked at his wife calmly, she was very angry, but he had to make her understand.

"Why are you sending him in a special force, he is just a child," argued Shisui.

"Sensei, I know you have a plan, but don't you think he is far too young for any special ops missions?" asked Kakashi doubtfully

"Everyone, I will answer all your questions, but you will listen to me, and will not interrupt me. Am I clear?" asked Minato sternly, and everyone gave a nod except Mikoto, who just stared at her husband sternly.

Minato gave a tired sigh, Mikoto was very stubborn when it came to Naruto and Itachi's well being.

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and a small bird appeared in front of Minato, it had a small scroll on it. Minato took the scroll and opened it with his blood.

His eyes widened when he read, what was inside.

_"It's just as we feared,"_ thought Minato worriedly.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" asked Homura curiously.

"A few hours ago, Iwa attacked Kusa and Taki, and has now taken control over the two villages, some of their special ops teams are hiding in Suna to strike us. Last night, Kiri too took control of Nagi island, and has surrounded us from the south and east directions. Kumo's army will be ready in a few days, and will attack us from the north. The war has already begun," explained Minato briefly.

All the people were quite shocked when they heard that.

"How do you know all this, even my spies have not heard anything about it, what are you hiding?" asked Jiraiya suspiciously.

Minato looked at everyone present in the room, things had gotten much worse now.

He knew he had made a few mistakes, and they were now paying the price. In a way, he and his elder son were the same, both of them thought that it was their duty to shoulder everything alone.

He looked at the worried faces of his people, he hadn't even told them about the Edo Tensei, or the new weapon, the Akatsuki, and and so many more things

The people in the room, were the only ones whom he could trust, well except Danzo. But now he had to tell them the ugly truth, he couldn't tell this to the other shinobi or the villagers.

Or there would have been chaos.

Now his only hope depended on the plan which he had made, and the people in the room.

**''Seven years ago, I started "Operation Black storm"...and this is where it all began...,"** said Minato darkly.

* * *

**Author's notes: Yes, cliffhangers are back!**

**Now you see not everything people see is the truth.**

**Naruto has a lot of darkness in him, but he also has a good soul. The question is who will prevail? In a way, Naruto is a little similar to Anakin from Star Wars.**

**How does Minato know everything? He is a very cheeky bastard, I didn't just compare Minato to Tobirama, just like that.**

**What is this operation that he started? What is this special force that he wants Naruto to join? Who's in the last coffin?**

**Well, Tsunade's back, just as Minato planned, so Konoha has a lot more trump cards waiting, and is not so weak as it appears.**

**I love mysteries!**

**Next chapter, will be a very important chapter, and will be the last chapter of this arc.**

**The truth will be revealed, and two very important characters, will be introduced.**

**Just another hint for the pairing, the character's name starts with M, whether she is from the Narutoverse or some other universe, I'll let you guys guess.**

**Well, since I gave you guys a cliffy, I'll give another hint for the pairing.**

**She is a very badass fighter, and a female protagonist of my favorite series (One which I love more than Naruto).**

**See, I'm not so evil (Just kidding XD!)**

**Well until the next mysterious chapter.**

**JA NE!**


	10. The Dark Truth

**How's it going...**

**As promised, I bring another interesting chapter of this story.**

**Now, just some advice, the world war will be fought in a unique way. I've tried to collaborate many interesting concepts, so try to be open-minded.**

**Apart from Jutsu, I am going to lay heavy emphasis on weapons and machinery. Come on, be realistic, not all fights can be fought only with Jutsu.**

**One thing I still don't understand, I have read many Naru/Kushi fics, where Naruto is a lot younger than Kushina. She is in her mid-30's, while Naruto is in his teens. (I'm not targeting any writer or readers; this is just my general opinion on the concept, no offense!)**

**Now how can a pairing be possible if their age gap is more than 25 years!**

**The reason many readers and writers give, is the Uzumaki bloodline and longevity. That's the most stupid theory I have ever read, yes Uzumaki live long lives, but they are not immortal nor do they stay young forever. The way these 2 people think will be drastically different; I don't know why people believe it is possible?**

**Now before any of you call me a hypocrite, as I've written a Naruto/Kurenai fic, their age difference in that fic is just 7 years, so it is possible.**

**I'd like to hear your thoughts, about the chapter, and I would also appreciate if someone gave me a good reason, as to how Naru/Kushi can happen?**

**Beta'd by sanbi221**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**The Dark Truth.**

* * *

"Seven years ago, I started "Operation Black storm", and this is where it all began..." said Minato slowly.

All the people in the room were quite curious as to what this operation was, even the Anbu commander didn't know anything about this, nor did Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Mikoto, or any of the others.

"What is this operation?" asked Danzo intriguingly.

"Danzo, you remember the losses our village suffered, in the third great ninja war?" asked Minato calmly.

"Yes, our casualties were very high. If not for the Sannin, or you, Konoha would have lost the war," said Danzo analytically.

"But, we did recover from that war, didn't we?" asked Homura curiously.

"Yes, we did, now our forces are strong, even though we don't have our Jinchuriki, we still have Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Tsunade, Minato-sama, Mikoto-sama, Kagami, Kakashi, Shisui, the entire Anbu force, and all our forces. We are strong," said Koharu firmly.

"That may be true, Koharu-san, but right now we are surrounded from all sides. Our forces will be stretched thin all across the fire country, our enemy has a very large force in comparison to us, and not to mention they have 5 Jinchuriki as well. We are not strong," said Shikaku harshly.

Everyone understood the entire situation, even though they had motivated their people, they still had to face reality. They had very little hope of winning the war.

"That is why, I launched this black ops operation," stated Minato calmly.

"What do you mean?" asked Mikoto curiously, she didn't know what secrets her husband had been hiding till now.

"After seeing the losses we suffered, I came to the conclusion that the days where we fought head on, were finally coming to an end. I knew the other villages hate Konoha since the beginning, and if by some case they joined forces, then we would be on the brink of extinction. So as you all know I brought every reform in our military forces...," started Minato calmly.

Everyone was listening to him closely; it seemed as if their Hokage had indeed thought about a lot of things.

"But I knew it was not enough, so as soon as I became Hokage, I started creating a secret force," said Minato seriously.

Everyone was shocked when they heard that, even the Anbu commander.

"We already have so many divisions of forces, then why did you create a secret force, and why weren't we informed?" asked Hiruzen seriously.

"The enemy knows everything about our forces, and all their tactics, just as we know theirs. So I started this force, in secret, to give our village an edge on our enemies," explained Minato calmly.

"What is so special about this force? What's its name?" asked Tsunade curiously.

"It's called **"Blacklight"**, and they are the first as well as the last line of defense of our village," said Minato truthfully.

Everyone's eyes widened on hearing this, the Anbu were the finest soldiers of the village, and they couldn't believe what their leader was saying.

"But Hokage-sama, Anbu forces, have protected the village with their lives," argued the Anbu commander.

"Dragon, that is indeed true, but "Blacklight" has been running operations behind enemy lines, since the end of the third great ninja war. How do you think I received information about the enemy so quickly, not even Jiraiya-sensei's spy network knows about them," said Minato honestly.

"How strong are these "Blacklight" shinobi?" asked Kakashi curiously.

"Each one of them is worth 10 of our chuunin, they are the best. Even better than the Anbu, the fact that so many of them have successfully infiltrated the enemy ranks, without even Jiraiya knowing, is a proof of their efficiency. I handpicked each and every one of them," explained Minato briefly.

"Tell us about this force in more detail," said Kagami calmly, but he was hopeful that they had such an amazing force; if they could stay below Jiraiya's spy network, then they were the best.

"Blacklight is a group of elite special forces, that specializes in modern warfare, it is unlike any force you have ever seen," said Minato simply.

"Why so?" asked Shisui curiously

"It is a ground, air, as well as naval combat force. They have the most advanced weapons and armor, in short they are the ultimate cobra commandos of this village," said Minato firmly.

"What do you mean aerial, as well as naval combat force?" asked Mikoto seriously.

"They can infiltrate deep behind enemy lines, through air or by sea, in short they can fly as well as swim underwater, with the help of special equipment made for them, right now as we are speaking, Blacklight forces are destroying the primary supply line of Iwa's 1'st combat division in Taki," said Minato with a smirk.

"What!?" yelled everyone in shock.

"Hokage-sama, while I have utmost faith in you, but all of this sounds too good to be true," said Shikaku suspiciously.

"The fact that one Blacklight commando is present in this room, and none of you can feel his presence, proves my point," said Minato victoriously.

As soon as Minato said that, a figure rose from the wooden floor. Everyone's eyes widened, as they realized that none of them even knew, that there was a person in the room.

All of the people were Kage-level, or Jounin level ninja, who had been through wars.

The person was wearing black Anbu pants, he had a black flak jacket on his chest, his hands were hidden by his black gloves, and he was wearing black combat boots.

But everyone's eyes widened when they saw the "Baku" mask on his face.

There was only one person that had ever wore that mask, the most trusted Anbu of the Second Hokage, and the previous Anbu commander of Konoha.

But he was supposed to be dead!

"Baku?" asked Hiruzen in shock; the man had been his second in command, and had died in the third great ninja war.

"At your service, Hiruzen-sama," said the man firmly and gave a bow.

Baku was a legend in Konoha, he had been through 3 wars, was the most trusted man of the Second and the Third Hokage, the previous Anbu commander of Konoha, as well as the best Infiltration and Recon Special Ops soldier.

Even though the man was in his 60's, everyone could feel his power.

"Baku-taichou, how are you alive?" asked the Anbu commander curiously.

"Baku, you died in the previous war, what is going on here?" asked Danzo firmly.

Minato stepped forward and now stood beside Baku.

"It was true he died in battle, but in reality, the enemy had fooled us, and had captured him alive. He was in captivity for a few months, before I rescued him myself from the prison camp," explained Minato briefly.

"Is this true?" asked Jiraiya cautiously, after so many revelations he didn't know what was true.

"Yes, Hokage-sama rescued me. The enemy tortured me for days to get information until he saved me. When I was in the enemy camps, I realized that even though they had lost, they would not stop, and another war was imminent. After I was rescued by Minato-sama, I told him all about the enemy's intentions," explained Baku briefly.

"So, both of you then formed the "Blacklight" Special Forces, and if your past experience and record are taken into consideration, you must be the commander of Blacklight," said Shikaku sharply.

"Smart as always, Nara Shikaku," said Baku firmly.

"I'll let Baku-san explain the details, he can answer all your questions," said Minato strictly, Baku nodded.

"We want you to explain everything about your force, Baku-san," said Danzo curtly.

"After I returned to the village, I started to recruit exceptional shinobi from all over the Fire Country, as well as the entire world. Men, women, teenagers, and some kids, each and every soldier was unique. They were strong, smart, and some of them possessed Kekkei Genkai too. When I was in Kumo's prison camp, I heard rumors about development of some advanced weapons, so I knew the next war would be very different," explained Baku briefly.

"While Baku was gathering men, I recruited a team of scientists. They developed different types of advanced weapons and machinery for Blacklight," said Minato seriously.

"Let us give a demonstration," said Baku firmly.

He then made a hand seal and 2 shadow clones immediately formed in the center of the room.

"What are you doing?" asked Kagami curiously.

Minato told him to wait, Baku signaled both his shadow clones, who nodded in response.

They jumped further away from Baku, and took out a few shuriken.

Everyone tensed, but did well and tried to hide their anxiousness, but they were surprised when the clones launched a few shuriken towards their castor, and jumped to attack him.

But they were shocked by what Baku did.

Baku suddenly took out a unique looking weapon and fired at his clones. To everyone's shock, the weapon launched a hail of kunai, and before they could blink, the clones were destroyed along with the shuriken they fired.

Baku stood there calmly holding his weapon, while everyone's jaw dropped to the floor in shock.

"What the hell was that?" asked Kakashi in shock, even his sharp eyes couldn't see the kunai that Baku fired at his clones.

"This is a **"Kunai Launcher"**. It launches projectiles at the enemy 10 times faster than a shinobi. It can fire many rounds continuously within a blink of an eye, before the enemy can even realize what happened; it can take out an entire squad. It is swift, silent, and easy to use. It has a clip capacity of 50 kunai per round, and it is one of the most lethal weapons ever invented," said Minato proudly.

"Such a powerful weapon."

"Amazing."

"Hokage-sama, we need to equip all our shinobi with this weapon, it can turn the tide of the whole war," said Danzo eagerly.

"Unfortunately, this weapon is very costly. Each launcher costs us the yearly salary of a Jounin, and the materials used to build it are very rare. The only ones who have this weapon are Blacklight troopers, and even among them, only the most skilled are given this weapon," said Minato disappointedly.

All the people were very disappointed after hearing that, but they could understand it was very costly. They were already facing a huge expense, and they didn't want to add to that debt.

"Blacklight troopers are Para-commands, as well as underwater combat teams. I used my fuinjutsu skills, and created an ink bird, which carries our troops behind enemy lines. From there, they can stealthily land with the help of their special equipment, and take out the enemy. They also have various others weapons like 3D Maneuver Gear, Explosive Bombs, etc…," explained Baku briefly.

The council members were shocked that their Hokage had done such amazing research.

"Blacklight troopers are trained in hand-to-hand combat, ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and Shurikenjutsu. Each trooper has to pass the 3D maneuver course. The numbers of candidates who pass this training course are mere 5%. Those who survive the training, are then divided into Recon, Strike team, Communication team, Medical Unit, and Emergency Task force (ETF)" said Baku curtly.

"Your force is strong, but how many men do you have under your command?" asked Tsunade seriously.

"I spent the last 7 years searching for exceptional shinobi, and trained them hard, it takes 2 years to fully train a Blacklight trooper. I have 700 battle ready troopers right now, excluding deep cover agents who have gotten close to enemy higher command. My force follows one code: either annihilate the enemy or die trying, and we never surrender no matter what. With the number of troopers I have right now, I can destroy Iwa's entire army," said Baku confidently.

"With just 700 men? Are you kidding?" asked Koharu mockingly.

"Koharu-gaki, these troopers have gone through such hell, that none of you have ever seen. You do remember that I was the first Anbu Black Op of Konoha. Tobirama-sama trained me well. So I advise you keep your mouth shut," warned Baku dangerously.

Koharu immediately shut her mouth; Baku was not someone with whom you messed. The man was Koharu's superior officer, had served three Kage's, and lived through three wars. So if he said that he had such a lethal force under his command, then it was wise not to question him.

Jiraiya decided it was now time to ask a few questions to his student, why didn't Minato tell this to him?

He was his teacher, as well as the spy master of Konoha.

Minato looked at his teacher, he knew Jiraiya must be feeling betrayed as he didn't tell him.

"Sensei, I know what you are thinking, but I did this to protect our village," said Minato gently.

"You don't trust my spy network, have you lost faith in my abilities?" asked Jiraiya angrily.

_"Not again,"_ thought Tsunade tiredly.

"I never doubted your abilities or your network, but I could not place the entire burden on you. You and I both know that spying on 4 great shinobi nations, finding Kushina, as well as looking out for all internal threats to our village is not an easy job. I just divided the work, in order to keep the village safe," said Minato honestly.

Jiraiya just gave a nod, he didn't like it, but what Minato said was the truth.

However Hiruzen was a former Kage, and as such knew that to prepare such a lethal advanced force would have cost a fortune.

"Minato, where did you get the money from to prepare Blacklight, as well as for their missions? We were already using all the funds we had, as well as the Daimyo's financial aid in preparing our armies. I know the records; you wouldn't be left with any money after we spend it on our army. How did you create Blacklight?" asked Hiruzen with a frown

Minato just gritted his teeth, leave it to a former Kage to figure it out. He didn't want this truth to come out, but now everyone was looking at him.

"I struck deals with many crime lords, I'll allow them to smuggle drugs, liquor, and some other illegal stuff into Fire Country in small numbers. In return, they would pay us huge amount of money as taxes, everything was allowed except prostitution and slavery. Gato Industries was one of our primary financers. We also caught wealthy merchants who performed illegal trade; we gave them the choice to either provide money, or risk their lives and business," explained Minato shamefully.

Everyone couldn't believe what they just heard; they never expected such things from a man like Minato.

But the one who was most shocked was none other than Mikoto.

She couldn't believe her husband had did all this, now she understood why he never came home for days.

"So you ran an extortion racket in your own country?" yelled Mikoto angrily

Minato dropped his head in shame, he had done a few things in life, that he was ashamed of. This was one of them, and right now he couldn't look his wife in the eye.

No matter what reasons he had, Mikoto was a righteous person, and he knew, the trust she had in him was now broken.

"Yes," said Minato sadly.

The rest of the people didn't even dare say a word, because they knew both Minato or Mikoto would slice their heads off, if they interfered.

"How could you..? I trusted you...and you did this!" said Mikoto with tears in her eyes.

Kagami didn't know what to say, on one hand he was angry at Minato for breaking his daughter's trust, but his rational side knew his son-in-law had did, what a Hokage should have done.

But still he was a girl's father, and his daughter mattered to him more.

Shisui just remained silent; he just didn't know what to say.

"He did the right thing," said Baku firmly.

"You shut up, both of you committed grave crimes, drugs, liquor, extortion, what righteous reason do you have to justify your actions? You must have done things even more horrible than this," said Mikoto accusingly.

"We did, we had to make a choice. The lives of a few hundred against the lives of all the people in Konoha, as well as the Fire Country. Minato made his choice, he chose to do something that would forever haunt his soul," said Baku aggressively.

"The reason Minato Namikaze is entrusted with Konoha's safety is because he has the balls to do what is right. He succeeded where the Shodai, as well as the Sandaime failed. If there is someone who can bring change, it is that person who is ready to make sacrifices, someone who can throw aside their humanity to defeat the enemy. Someone who can't sacrifice something can never change anything." said Baku furiously.

"But-," said Tsunade but was cut off.

"The information that you received about Iwa's advance… do you know, how you got it?" asked Baku sternly.

"No, tell us," said Tsunade curtly

"Five of my best troopers died to get this information, their names would never be remembered, their end was not glorious. They died in the shadows, believing that their sacrifice would give hope to their people. None of you have any right to protest; Minato is doing the right thing, his son is doing the right thing, and that makes him better than all of you," said Baku sternly.

A shiver ran down Mikoto's spine, her husband was sending her child into "Blacklight".

"Minato Namikaze...," said Mikoto with barely restrained anger.

Minato's resolve had hardened a little after Baku's speech, and he now looked at his wife coldly. He didn't know if his wife would stay with him after this, but he had to do this.

"Are you sending my little boy, into this suicide force?" asked Mikoto furiously.

"He volunteered for it," said Minato emotionlessly.

Mikoto couldn't believe her husband was saying this; this was not the man she loved.

"He is a child, Minato. I will not allow this!" said Mikoto firmly.

"You have no authority, Naruto is a registered shinobi of Konoha, and as such he is an adult, he has the right to make his own choices. And he has made his choice, besides you cannot over rule the decision of the Hokage," said Baku seriously.

"Why do you need Naruto so badly?" asked Shisui worriedly.

He didn't want his nephew to get killed, and Blacklight was **ing dangerous. He knew if something happened to Naruto, Mikoto would not be able to bear it. She loved her sons to death.

"Naruto has a power which has not been seen since the Nidaime Hokage…," said Minato slowly.

"What do you mean?" asked Tsunade curiously, what had her uncle got to do with this?

"I sent a sample of Naruto's genes, and his blood sample for testing. When he unlocked his chakra I knew he had some hidden power in him. I also sent Itachi's genes and blood for testing," said Minato shocking Mikoto further.

"And?" asked Danzo curiously.

"Both of my boys have great power in them," said Minato a little proudly.

"What kind of power?" asked Kagami curiously.

"Naruto has the ability to control water; the results revealed he will be a master of Water Style. The biologist believes he will surpass Tobirama Senju very soon, also his body shows indication of a Kekkei Genkai...we are not sure what it is. Also he is smart, and has the ability to motivate people in impossible situations, he is just the kind of soldier, we need in Blacklight," said Baku proudly.

Before Mikoto could protest, Danzo cut in again.

"And your younger son?" asked Danzo curiously.

Minato gritted his teeth in anger, couldn't the man just give him a break? He was already dealing with a pissed of wife.

"He has the ability to mold fire, his chakra is strong too, but weak in comparison to his brother. Whether he has a Kekkai Genkai or not, we are not sure, but he too is exceptional like his big brother. Out of both the boys he has more chance to activate the Sharingan," said Minato silently

"I want my son out of this mess, right now!" demanded Mikoto

"The only way you can get him out is if he refuses to join Blacklight himself, there is no other way," said Minato tiredly.

"I'm going," said Mikoto firmly.

"Wait-," said Minato hurriedly.

Mikoto turned around to face him, and gave him the most murderous look, one which she gave to her enemies.

**"I won't let you sacrifice my little boy, not for Konoha, and not for anyone!"** said Mikoto furiously.

She then stomped out of the room, banging the door roughly.

None of the people knew what to say, until Jiraiya got a thought.

"Man, women look so sexy when they are pissed off," said Jiraiya with a chuckle.

He then took out his little notebook, and started writing something.

The entire room was flooded with KI, the air grew cold, and everyone was shocked to see a dark aura around Tsunade.

"Jiraiya-baka…," said Tsunade too sweetly.

"Oh shit!" said Jiraiya in panic.

Tsunade gave a hard punch to Jiraiya's face that sent him flying into the wall.

Everyone just sighed tiredly, it would take another hour, before Jiraiya woke up, and they could continue the meeting. While Minato and Hiruzen smacked their foreheads in frustration, both of them had the same thought in mind.

_"Kami-sama, really hates us!"_

* * *

(With Mikoto)

Mikoto walked through the streets of Konoha.

Everyone was quite surprised and shocked, as they realized that she was **. Small cracks were appearing on the ground she walked.

Her chakra was flaring dangerously.

No one dared to get in her way, as hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

She still couldn't believe that her husband had did all that. She was a person who always valued morals, while Minato was the opposite.

She could even forget what he did, but sending her son straight into the gates of hell!

She didn't even care if he could surpass the Nidaime, or if he had a Kekkei Genkai, even if he was the smartest person, in the world she would not allow him to go.

How dare that little blonde idiot, volunteer for this? Was he out of his fucking mind!

He sure was, otherwise who would agree to join, a black ops force that were more dangerous than Anbu, "Voluntarily".

One thought was only running through Mikoto's mind,

_"Naruto Namikaze, I'm going to kill you!"_

* * *

(With Naruto)

He was frustrated.

For the past two hours, he was trying to find a girl, as well as a boy, on his father's orders.

What was the girl's name?

_"Mik...Damn it, I forgot again!"_ thought Naruto angrily.

The locals had given him the location where he could find these two persons, but the road was very confusing.

He then turned around in an alley, and to his surprise and shock, he found his target.

There she was. However, Naruto was shocked when he saw her face.

_"She looks beautiful,"_ thought Naruto with a light blush.

He then remembered the name, as well as the details the locals had given him. Everything was matching, he decided to do what he came to do.

"Hey, are you..."

* * *

**Author's Notes : I admit it, I'm pure evil.**

**A lot of things happened in this chapter, some truths came out too.**

**Now just a little explanation, Minato did what was right. Come on, every leader's do this kind of stuff, besides the reason he kept it secret was because he wanted it to remain secret.**

**Also you cannot just entirely depend on Jiraiya for information; if you are a country's leader, would you just rely on one man's Intel, or would you have a backup too?**

**As for the Baku character, in canon he was one of the young Anbu, who was trusted by Tobirama, and kept a watch on the Uchiha. This chapter gave his back story a bit, and what he has done so far.**

**Blacklight are more efficient than Anbu, as you'll read further you'll understand why.**

**The "Kunai Launcher" is a design similar to an assault rifle. It is far more powerful and faster than a shinobi. I also mentioned some other military gear, which will become prominent later on in the story.**

**Naruto's power, I believe you got some ideas. What Kekkai Genkai he has, I'll leave it to your imagination to guess..**

**Itachi will be powerful too, I don't want him to remain in Naruto's shadow, however we all have seen a pacifist Itachi in Cannon& fanfiction, but in this story, let's just say he will be very different. Though he does love Naruto, just like Cannon Itachi, loved Sasuke (In a brotherly way, hehe!)**

**Now don't say Mikoto was acting childish. She is a mother first, shinobi later. You should understand how she feels. First her husband breaks her trust and is willing to send her boy into a dangerous special force.**

**Of course, she will be pissed!**

**For ex: You go home, tell your mother. "Hey mom, dad asked me to join the Navy Seals, and I volunteered. I'm going to kick ass (punches in the air)"**

**The only thing you will get from your mother is a punch to your face!(XD!)**

**I had planned to introduce the two characters that I talked about in the previous chapter, but it just didn't look right in this chapter, so they will be introduced in the next chapter, (If its any consolation, I introduced Baku!XD)**

**Now I have still left hint for the two characters Naruto is searching for, and who this mysterious girl is. Some readers would have understood by now, if you haven't you will have to wait for a few days, as there won't be any updates this month. Maybe after September 2nd.**

**This arc is not finished, and it will take one more chapter to finish it.**

**Please Review!**


	11. The Truth of Minato Namikaze

**Yo,**

**I'm back with the second last chapter of this arc, I'm sure you will enjoy it.**

**I especially thank all those reviewers, who explained to me why people so madly love Naru/Kushi pairing, I also thank all the others who left reviews too.**

**Rest assured Kushina has a very interesting role in this fic, she has a small arc too, but it won't be soon.**

**I'm sure some of you don't like cliffhangers, but I write them to add more excitement to the story, this way you will feel more happy when your expectations are met in later chapters. Also due to cliffhangers I get some very good suggestions from my readers.**

**I know all of you are interested in reading the war arc, it will be big, but before that there will be a little more development.**

**The heroine of this story, is nothing like Hinata or Sakura. I wish she was in Naruto instead of Hinata. They piss me off, well Hinata pisses me off mostly.**

**And don't even try to convince me that Hinata is a good character, she is pathetic. Her entire focus is only on Naruto, always Naruto this, Naruto that, no wonder she is considered a failure by her own clan, and more by her own father. That bitch deserves it, fucking coward.**

**Okay, I admit, Hinata has developed, but the way she reacted when Neji died made her the worst female character for me, in the entire anime ever created in this world. Okay, I get she likes Naruto, but that bitch can only think about Naruto's manly hand? Her cousin who died to protect her and her crush, is just lying right beside her, it has just been a few minutes since his death, and she switches back to fangirl mode! Pathetic bitch!**

**Now on to Sakura, I admit I like her more than Hinata, but she also pissed me off, recently. Although I did like her power up.**

**Its my opinion, you can have yours; but don't try to change my opinion or I'll throw a gorilla at you (XD!)**

**I especially hate it when writers make their female characters like damsel in distress, I hate Kishi for his poor development of female characters, that is why I will do my best to give my female characters equal development.**

**Some of your questions, which majority of you have asked from the beginning of this fic, will be answered in this chapter.**

**Well enough said..**

**Now enjoy the chapter..**

**Beta'd by sanbi221**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**The Truth of Minato Namikaze**

* * *

"Hey are you...Mikasa Ackerman?" asked Naruto curiously

The girl names Mikasa, had jet black hair that reached up to her shoulders. She had a very cute face, and Naruto was amazed by the fact; that Mikasa looked very similar to his own mother.

She was wearing an ordinary grey skirt, white sandals on her feet and a small black t-shirt.

But the most beautiful thing were her calm blue eyes.

Surprised, would be the right word to describe what Naruto was feeling right now. He had seen a few beautiful girls in his village, but Mikasa was also very good looking.

The girl named Mikasa, looked at him with a calm look on her face.

"Yes, I am Mikasa...who are you?" asked Mikasa calmly

Again, a surprising question asked by the girl. Most people in the village knew who he was, but it seemed that she was unaware of his identity or was not interested in talking.

But then he remembered she was an orphan, and lived at the orphanage, and people would describe her as having a very aloof personality.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze..nice to meet you," said Naruto with a smile; and extended his hand to her for a handshake.

Mikasa's eyes widened for a brief second, until they became calm again. She looked at him calmly, her blue eyes were boring into Naruto's soul. She then gently shook his hand.

"It is nice to meet you Naruto-san,...now can you tell me, why the Hokage's son is searching for me?" asked Mikasa sharply

She was never a person for diplomacy, if there was something she needed to say, she said it directly. Mikasa believed there was no point in talking vaguely, if you want to say something, say it honestly.

And also the Hokage's son searching for her, could not be a coincidence.

Naruto was quite surprised by the girl's sharp question, he liked that she was very straight forward.

"Well, Hokage-sama sent me to give you this personally," said Naruto seriously; he then handed her the chit which his father had given him.

He addressed his father as Hokage, as he was right now an official messenger; and he knew what was right. If he didn't respect his father's position, then the people won't respect him too.

He knew what was in that chit, and the reaction which he got from Mikasa surprised him.

She read the content of the chit calmly, for a brief period Naruto could see a little shock on her face, but she was very quick in schooling her expressions.

After a few moments, she looked at Naruto seriously,

Naruto noticed her eyes fixed on a couple of people that were observing them, and got her message. The girl was very observant, and pretty smart.

Both of them nodded, and went further away from the crowd. None of them seemed to talk while they were walking, and there was a very uncomfortable silence that was bugging Naruto.

Meanwhile Mikasa was walking silently, a lot of things were running through her mind.

The Hokage had asked her opinion on whether she would like to join a secret task force or not that would protect Konoha during the war. No further details were given, the message was clear, she had 2 weeks to make up her mind and report to the Hokage.

And if she didn't want to join, then the entire memory of this incident would be silently wiped away from her mind; so that it remains a secret.

She looked at Naruto closely, the boy was mysterious. He seemed friendly, but she noticed how sharp he was, when he realized her message of going somewhere alone without any words. Just a look and he understood her perfectly.

He seemed very calm, and was walking patiently with her. Most kids their age would have asked her a lot of questions, and Naruto was the Hokage's son.

She had thought that he must be a little arrogant, but he seemed fine and friendly. Even though he was nobility in Konoha, he didn't seem uncomfortable in walking and talking with a common orphan like her.

After a few moments the couple reached a secluded corner, where no people were present. Naruto looked at Mikasa seriously,

"What is your opinion?" asked Naruto seriously, all playfulness gone from his voice.

"I need to think about this...its a lot to consider," said Mikasa hesitantly

"Understood...I will relay your message to Hokage-sama. If you make a decision, please report immediately to him in the Hokage tower," explained Naruto briefly

"I see..thank you," said Mikasa curtly

Silence followed for a few moments between the couple, until Mikasa decided to ask something.

"Are you also joining the force?" asked Mikasa curiously

Naruto looked at her for a few moments, her expression was calm, and she seemed genuinely interested.

"Yes, I am...I will protect this village at all costs," said Naruto with determination

Mikasa looked at the blonde haired boy seriously, his words were firm, and the look in his black eyes showed her; that he did mean what he say.

"Why?" asked Mikasa

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto curiously

"Why do you want to risk your life in such a dangerous force? You can join the regular forces, why do you purposefully risk your life?" asked Mikasa curiously

She wanted to know what had motivated Naruto to make the decision, like her he must also have been asked to make a choice. She wanted to know what was his true purpose behind it, because both of them had faced a similar choice, the only difference was Naruto had already made his choice.

Naruto looked at her with a very far away look on his face.

"Its because when I look at these people, they make me remember my family. Each person has a role to fulfill, I was born in this village, so it is my duty to fight for it and protect it at all costs. This world is merciless Mikasa, but...it is beautiful too. There are so many things that I would gladly give my life to protect. My father says I have a special power in me, I don't know what it is, but my grandfather taught me that with great power; comes great responsibility as well as sacrifice. I am ready to make the sacrifice, the question is; are you?" asked Naruto seriously

Mikasa's eyes widened a little when she heard that, Naruto was so serious, it was as if he knew what he was doing.

But still all of this didn't matter to her anymore.

She couldn't even do anything back then,

"Then you will die following this dream of yours,'' said Mikasa harshly

"So what?" asked Naruto roughly, what was up with this girl? She was even more mysterious than him.

Now it was Mikasa's turn to be shocked, Naruto didn't know what death was.

"You don't know what death is, you talk about dying for this village. You think, if you die protecting this village, your death will be glorious; but reality is different. When you die, everything you wanted, your dream, the people you love, all of them die with you. Your body rots in the barren earth, until it completely vanishes. The only thing that matters in this world is survival," said Mikasa harshly

"It is better to die following your dream, then to lose hope and give up. I won't let any of my comrades die," said Naruto aggressively

"It is your choice, it is your life. I will report back to the Hokage with my decision. Now is there anything else, you need of me ?" asked Mikasa stoically.

_"Man, she's so rude,"_ thought Naruto dejectedly.

But still he needed her help, in order to find his next target.

"Well kind of.." said Naruto sheepishly.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes suspiciously, she had grown up in a cruel world. Her parents were dead, so she had to live her life more cautiously. She had seen how devious and deceiving people were, and when someone started fumbling, things would always be fishy.

"What do you need?" asked Mikasa flatly.

"I need your help in finding Armin Arlert," said Naruto firmly.

The locals had told him that Mikasa and Armin, knew each other, and it would help him in finding Armin easily; if Mikasa was with him.

But Naruto was shocked when Mikasa came towards him, at lightning fast speed and slammed him against the wall a little roughly. Her hands were grabbing his shirt quite roughly, and she was giving him a very stern look.

Only one thing was running through Naruto's mind,

_"She's too fast!"_ thought Naruto surprisingly.

"What do you need him for? Keep him out of this, he's the only family I've got," warned Mikasa dangerously.

Naruto was quite surprised by her aggressive behavior, it seemed that Mikasa and Armin were quite close.

Armin was an orphan too, his parents were shinobi who had died shortly after the third great ninja war, while his grandfather had died in the war.

Mikasa's background was completely unknown, she had been found almost dead somewhere in fire country. The details were classified, and his father had not told him anything further. She was a mystery to everyone.

Naruto grabbed her hand and yanked it off, he then looked at her sternly

"Look its not my choice, I'm just following orders. If he does not want to join, he will be left alone..but for now help me find him; because the Anbu won't be as friendly as I am," said Naruto strictly

Mikasa's shoulders slumped in defeat, it seemed that she did not have any say in this matter.

She looked at Naruto for a moment, she knew he was just following orders; and she had acted quite roughly, but Armin was her only family, and she would not let anything happen to him.

"Sorry," said Mikasa curtly

She then started walking away, after walking a few steps she looked back at Naruto; who was still quite shocked by her apology.

"Are you coming?" asked Mikasa patiently

Naruto got out of his daze, and ran towards her.

_"I sure do attract mysterious people,"_ thought Naruto with a chuckle

* * *

(Konoha Council Room)

The entire council was now in session, Jiraiya had just woken up recently, and after a lot of warning and requests; from Minato and Hiruzen simultaneously, Tsunade had admitted to let Jiraiya of the hook.

For now..

"Shikaku, what plan do you suggest, after considering our entire situation?" asked Minato seriously

Shikaku closed his eyes, his mind was processing information faster than any other person in that room.

Surrounded from all sides, lacking enough military personnel, having a lethal special force, a few kage-level shinobi, and various other unknown traps.

"Before, you think of a plan, there is a little more information, that you need to know. May I Hokage-sama?" asked Baku curtly

Minato thought about Baku's proposal, he had to tell everything now, or there would be chaos on the battlefield when the truth gets out.

A tired sigh escaped from his lips.

"As you all know, Iwa, Kiri and Kumo are behind this war. However that is not the truth," said Minato slowly

Many of the people got curious, if these three villages were not the real threat, then who were?

"What are you saying?" asked Homura curiously

"The ones who are really the mastermind of this war, is an organization called the "Akatsuki"," said Minato firmly

"Akatsuki, what kind of name is that?" asked Koharu mockingly

"I would advise you not to take them lightly, from what we know so far, this organization is supposed to be made up of the most dangerous missing nins of this shinobi world," said Minato darkly

Everyone was shocked, on hearing this, it was not very usual for missing nins to cooperate with each other.

"Do we know any of their identities?" asked Hiruzen curiously

Minato casted a sympathetic look to the former Kage, it was really going to break the old man's heart further.

"We have identified two of their members, one of them is...Orochimaru," said Baku bitterly

A couple of shocked voices could be heard in the room, Orochimaru, the biggest traitor of their village was in Akatsuki?

The man was a monster, and one of the most evil men to be ever born in the world. He was a student of the third Hokage, a Sannin, and the best scientist in the world.

The things that the man had done were inhuman, and he regretted none of it.

"Are you sure about this, Hokage-sama?" asked Shisui hesitantly, even he wouldn't want to face the Sannin in combat.

Meanwhile Jiraiya, Tsunade and Hiruzen was shocked to hear this. Despite what the man had become, he was once a part of their team, a friend and a family.

Only one thought was running through their minds..

_"How low can you further fall, Orochimaru?"_ thought the trio sadly

"The information is absolute, there is no mistake. However he is not the leader of this group," said Baku calmly

"What? He is not someone who would work under someone's rule!" said Tsunade in shock

"Unfortunately, there is a man, who is more powerful than him, that he even calls that man his leader," said Minato bitterly

"Impossible"

"It can't be"

"SILENCE!"

Minato's angry voice, cut through everyone's soul, and they immediately shut their talks.

"Who is the other member?" asked Jiraiya sharply

"It is someone you thought to be dead, Sensei..." said Minato darkly

A shiver ran down, Jiraiya spine, could it be those three?

"The other member of the Akatsuki that we have identified is a woman...named Konan," said Minato firmly

Jiraiya couldn't believe what he had heard, his student, was now a criminal and a comrade of Orochimaru?

He knew Konan better, she was a very kind girl. What could have made her fall this low? What happened with her?

Where the hell were Yahiko and Nagato?

Suddenly a very horrifying revelation became clear to Jiraiya...could it be him?

"Who is this Konan?" asked Kakashi curiously

"Konan Kaname, a master of Origami (Paper) ninjutsu, and earth style ninjutsu. Her genjutsu and Taijutsu were good, an S-rank kunoichi from Amegakure. Her intelligence rivals that of Minato," said Jiraiya darkly

"How do you know so much about her?" asked Hiruzen suspiciously

There was a time in war, where Jiraiya had gone AWOL, Tsunade and Orochimaru had covered up for him. While Jiraiya was not fighting on the front lines, he still was supplying information to Konoha.

This mystery seemed to be a link to Jiraiya's disappearance

Tsunade's eyes widened when she remembered who this girl was, Konan was one of the three orphans whom Jiraiya had trained and taken care of during the war.

She was just about to speak the truth, but when she glanced at Jiraiya's broken face, her will broke.

Jiraiya acted like an idiot, but he was the only friend, she had left in this world. The man loved her, and had done everything he could for her, without asking anything in return.

She would never admit it, but Jiraiya was the most precious person in her life.

And to see him in such a broken state, made her sad. On the outside, it seemed Jiraiya was normal but Tsunade knew him way better than anyone else.

There was a time in the past, where they had been in a relationship.

And both of them had shared a secret...

She knew if the council heard that Konan was Jiraiya's student, then a lot of questions would follow, that Jiraiya wouldn't like to answer. Somethings should remain in the past, just like the thing which they had hidden.

"I am the spy master of this village, from where I get the information is none of your business. So fuck off," said Jiraiya angrily

"We didn't mean any disrespect Jiraiya-sama," said Shikaku quickly, these old bats sure pissed of a lot of people

"She is not the leader either, but this isn't the worst news," said Minato sadly

"What's more worse than this?" asked Danzo roughly

"Orochimaru has perfected _that_ Kinjutsu, Sandaime-sama," said Minato gravely

Hiruzen's eyes were wide as saucers when he heard those words, this couldn't be true!

"What jutsu?" asked Kagami worriedly

"Edo Tensei," said Minato angrily

Everyone in the room was shocked, the jutsu was the most dangerous thing in the world. Even a Tailed Beast Bomb was not as dangerous as that jutsu, because it could not be destroyed, nor the persons who are controlled by it.

It gave you an immortal army, which was unstoppable, and indestructible.

"This makes things worse, sensei. Do we have any idea, whom Orochimaru is controlling through that justu?" asked Kakashi seriously

Minato gave a sad look to his student, he was not going to like it.

"Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Sakumo Hatake, Mito Uzumaki Senju..and one unknown shinobi," said Baku furiously

Now everyone's eyes were wide as saucers, did Kami really hate them?

"This is a joke right?" asked Koharu fearfully

"Does it look like I'm joking, Koharu-gaki?" asked Baku irritatingly

"No" said Koharu curtly

"Then shut the fuck up, or I'll rip your panties out!" said Baku angrily

Everyone chuckled a little on hearing that comment, meanwhile Koharu's face was as read as tomato.

Only two people were not amused after hearing that, and they were Kakashi and Tsunade.

"Sensei, is my father really being controlled? Is there any way to free him and the others?" asked Kakashi worriedly

Despite the differences he had with his father, he still loved him, and to see his father's soul being violated was unacceptable to him.

"Edo Tensei can only be stopped by the caster himself, or if the person who is being controlled is somehow able to free himself. Other than that, there is no other possible way, that we know of yet," explained Minato briefly

"Hai" said Kakashi dejectedly

"Are my uncle and grandfather aware that they are being controlled?" asked Tsunade sharply

"We are not sure, but from what information we have got, Orochimaru had not started the Jutsu, so nothing can be clearly said for now.." said Baku curtly

"Troublesome," said Shikaku worriedly

"Hokage-sama, with such dangerous enemies, I am going to need more troopers in blacklight, but all of my forces are either on the front or behind enemy lines, and I personally don't have time to go searching for exceptional recruits. Do you have any other possible candidates, who can help us win this war?" asked Baku urgently

For once, Minato gave a confident nod, and took out a large file from his drawer, in the wooden desk.

"I knew this was going to be tough, so I selected 300 more recruits myself, they are all capable." said Minato firmly

"I would like to know some of their capabilities, since all the people here are the most trusted people in this village, it would be good if they can hear that we still have talented warriors in our country, who will help us win this war," requested Baku

Minato thought about Baku's proposal, and looked at all the people in the room. They definitely needed something, to lift their spirits and Baku's suggestion was right.

"I will tell you somethings, but remember this is top secret information which you will not reveal to anyone, not that you can do it anyway," said Minato with a smirk

"What do you mean?" asked Danzo suspiciously

"That is none of your business, or do you want me to slice your head off," said Minato dangerously

_"I have placed seals on all of your bodies, even if you wanted to tell, you would never be able to tell about blacklight or our strategy to anyone. Not even a Yamanaka can break through, because if they try to then both of the parties would die"_ thought Minato deviously

He was a Kage, and if one thing all Kages knew, was to never trust anyone blindly. This was the biggest rule of the shinobi world.

Over these years, Minato had marked all the council and military leaders with his seals, so no important secrets get out.

Minato then took out the file and started reading its contents briefly

"Naruto Namikaze, a powerful water style user, kekkai genkai unknown, rest of the skills are classified. Sense of intelligence is on par with a chunin, and good leadership skills. Current heir of the Namikaze clan, and elder son of the Fourth Hokage"

"Mikasa Ackerman, a level headed person. Remains calm under any circumstances, has unnatural speed and strength. Rest of the information is classified"

"Armin Arlert, the smartest of his generation. Has an IQ above 200, though physically weak, but has all the possible traits to be the next Jounin commander of this village. Rest of the skills are classified"

"Anko Mitarashi, a tough girl. Specializes in taijutsu, and ninjutsu. One of the most dangerous of her generation"

"Yugao Uzuki, a gifted Kunoichi who has great talent for swordsmanship, and a good lightning user,"

"Hana Inuzuka, the daughter of Tsume Inuzuka, and heiress of the Inuzuka clan. Best possible recruit for a Recon Team or good addition for a Strike Team, rest of the skills are classified"

"Hayate Gekko, another talented child, he has great talent for swordsmanship, and fire ninjutsu. A good infiltrator, rest of the skills are classified"

"Aoba Yamashiro, a good sensor, has high talent in genjutsu"

"Shizune Kato, has great talent in medical ninjutsu, has the potential to pass Tsunade Senju in a few decades. A good recruit for the medical unit"

"Rangiku Matsumoto, born with a powerful chakra, has abilities that have been classified. A very promising candidate for the Strike Team"

"Izumi Kamizuki, specializes in weapons and water style ninjutsu."

"Kotetsu Hagane, specializes in weapons and a powerful fire style user,"

"Yamato Nohara, a powerful earth style user, has great stamina and strength. Rest of skills are classified, promising recruit for Recon Division"

"Genma Shiranui, a powerful fire style user, possess great speed and intelligence"

"Raido, specializes in Taijutsu and weapons"

"Iwashi, a rare fuinjutsu specialist, and one of the best possible recruits for the Communication Team, and the Emergency Task Force"

The war council was quite astonished after hearing of the existence of such powerful children, there were probably many more of such exceptional kids. If trained properly, then they could become a lethal force, that could destroy any enemy.

"There are 284 more of such children who have been chosen for blacklight. Should they accept to join, train them well and I expect good results," ordered Minato

"As you wish, Hokage-sama" said Baku sincerely

He was satisfied, if there was one thing he loved about Minato, was that he never hesitated. He had the guts to do what was necessary, and never gave a fuck about what anyone else thought.

Minato was so much similar to Tobirama, the way they ruled, their thoughts, even their faces were similar, both of them were masters of teleportation...

If one could say...

"That is some good news," said Shisui in a relieved voice

"Hokage-sama, I have a plan in mind, that can help us gain advantage over our enemy," said Shikaku firmly

"What do you have in mind?" asked Minato curiously

Shikaku then looked at Baku firmly

"Baku-taichou, with your current forces, do you think you can hold an entire front? How long will it take to train these new recruits?" asked Shikaku curiously

"Yes, I can hold an entire front with my current forces, but without reinforcements we will suffer heavy casualties. My forces are strong, and in a head on battle they can demolish an entire army, but if we have to hold an entire front, we would be stretched thin, and the enemy would likely overwhelm us," explained Baku sincerely

"Hokage-sama, I propose to divide our entire army in five divisions," said Shikaku curtly

Shikaku then pointed towards the world map of the shinobi world.

"We are right in the centre of the shinobi world. I plan to divide our forces into 5 divisions"

"The first division, will be a Mid-Range battle force, which will be deployed directly on Kumo's borders. It will be a battle force of 4000 shinobi"

"The Second division, will be a Short-Range battle force, now it will play a major role in the war, because it will infiltrate River country, which is right next to Kusa and is very close to Iwa. Iwa's armies generally have shinobi with earth affinity, they prefer close combat, and the second division will be the best to deal with them. It will consist of 4000 battle ready shinobi."

"The Third Division, will be a Short-Mid Range battle divsion, it will be deployed in wave country and its primary objective would be to hold Kiri's forces, and prevent any surprise attacks from Kumo by sea. It will have 5000 battle ready shinobi, this division will have a large number of Anbu blackops in it."

"The Fourth Division would be a Long-Range battle division, it will be deployed beside the First Division. Its primary objective would be to destroy Kumo's advance forces, and infiltrate their country. It will also provide tactical support to the third division in wave, in case of an emergency. It will have 3000 shinobi"

"The Fifth Division would be a Special Battle Division, it would consist of our Kekkai Genkai shinobi, and the entire rebel forces of Kiri. It will be deployed right in the middle of fire country, every division would need support and this division's primary objective would be to provide reinforcements to all divsions, and supplies. But it will primarily support the blacklight troopers and protect the southern region of Fire country."

"Why is that?" asked Minato firmly

"I plan to deploy, the entire blacklight force on Iwa, Taki, and Kusa's borders. They will hold the enemy as long as possible, and when the Second division infiltrates Iwa's territory from River country, then with support from Fifth Division, blacklight can also move forward and destroy Iwa."

"But the casualties in blacklight would be very high," argued Danzo

''You are forgetting Danzo-san, blacklight are paratroopers, they can destroy the enemy faster than any of our forces. The reason they are deployed there, because Iwa likes to charge head on, with the weapons the blacklight forces have, they can annihilate the enemy from the air as well as the ground. Plus they will have the support of the Second Division, as well as the Fifth Division. Casulaties will be high, but this is what they are trained for" explained Shikaku briefly

"What about the medical division? There will be a lot of injured from all fronts" said Tsunade urgently

"Yes, a small company of our best medics will be stationed in Hazuko, it is a small base which we had developed during the previous war. It is very close to all the divisions, so casualties can be moved there easily, while the battle divisions will also have a few field medics. In case of any urgency, we can send the medical unit of blacklight" said Shikaku curtly

"Can I make a suggestion?" asked Kagami curtly

Minato nodded, if there was one thing he knew about Kagami, that he was a good tactician.

"I recommend the formation of a small Surprise Attack Unit, while Blacklight can deal with Iwa, the rest of the companies also need some tactical support. This surprise unit can perform blackops missions with the support of the Fifth Division" suggested Kagami

"A very good idea, we still have a few shinobi left, and they can be transferred to this unit" said Hiruzen curtly

"In order to maintain communication and transfer Intel, we have to form an intelligence division too" said Kakashi briefly

"So be it, I will form a Sensor as well as Intel Unit, that will provide us updates about the enemy, transfer intel, and keep communication between our different divisions" said Minato sternly

"But what about our internal security, there has to be some law and order in the village. Our shinobi will be on the front lines, how are we supposed to maintain peace in the village?" asked Homura briefly

"The Police Force will keep the peace in the village. Some people of my clan, as well as some powerful shinobi will help you keep the peace in the village" said Kagami confidently

"Everything is decided, does anyone have any objections, suggestions. Speak now" ordered Minato

None of the members replied so, Minato understood that everyone agreed with this plan.

"Shikaku, you are the best stragtegist in this world. We are proud to have someone like you in our forces, you and the Nara clan are the pride of this village," complimented Minato proudly

"It is troublesome work, but we will always protect this village. Hokage-sama, you need to appoint the commanders for different divisions," suggested Shikaku

"Jiraiya-sensei, will be the commander of the first division" said Minato firmly

Jiraiya gave a curt nod, indicating he accepted the job.

"Hiruzen-sama will be the battle commander of the second division. With his experience and intelligence he can infiltrate Iwa's borders very quickly" ordered Minato

"I shall lead them to victory," said Hiruzen firmly

"Kakashi, while you are young, your intelligence is on par with a Hokage, you have fought in a war, and have the respect of the entire village. You are a hero, a bloody icon. Your men will be facing a dangerous enemy, and they will need a man like you on the front. I appoint you the commander of the Third Division"

"The third division would defend Konoha till the last man, I give you, my word, the enemy will not get through our front lines, that is a promise" said Kakashi fiercely

He was very angry that his father, was being used like this, and his village was in danger, he would protect Konoha at all costs.

He was Kakashi Hatake, the famous copycat ninja and last remaining student of the famous yellow flash.

"I will be the commander of Fourth Division, as well as the Supreme commander of our army. Under normal conditions I would have stayed away from the front, but this time I will be at the front from the start, and I plan to destroy Kumo's armies with my Hirashin." said Minato firmly

"We believe in you, Hokage-sama" said Shikaku confidently

"Kagami-san, you are a war veteran, as well as Kekkai Genkai shinobi. I appoint you the battle commander of the Fifth Division, all of our lives will depend on your division's performance," said Minato briefly

"We won't let you down," said Kagami firmly

"Tsunade-sama, you are the head of the medical division, with my wife Mikoto Namikaze as your second in command. Please protect the lives of our shinobi with your skills," said Minato seriously

"I will save as many lives as possible, and will manage all the logistics with Mikoto's help. You can count on the medical division" said Tsunade confidently

"Shisui, you will be the captain of the Surprise Attack Division. Like Kakashi, you are also one of our bravest shinobi, lead your men, well. Your commanding officer would be Danzo Shimura, he has experience of three wars, I expect the best from both of you," ordered Minato

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I won't let you down," said Shisui firmly

"I shall not let anyone harm Konoha, we will do our duty," said Danzo curtly

"Inoichi will be the head of the Intelligence division, and will relay us the information, while Takane Kurama will be the commander of the Sensor Division. Shikaku, you will stay with Inoichi, and Takane's divisons at our HQ, and will coordinate our entire army, and create new strategies" said Minato seriously

"Troublesome, its a lot of work..but I'll do my best," said Shikaku tiredly

"Homura-san, Koharu-san, you two are also war veterans. I appoint you the head of the internal security force of Konoha, you will keep the peace in this village with the help of the police force, and our shinobi guards," ordered Minato

"Yes, Hokage-sama. We shall protect Konoha from all enemies in this village," said Koharu and Homura in unison

"This meeting is now over, report to your respective stations and make sure your men are ready, in the next 24 hours. All of you can leave, except for Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama, and Hiruzen-sama" said Minato curtly

Everyone gave a deep bow to their Hokage, and left the room quickly.

All of them had important jobs to do, they were at war now, and the lives of their men depended on their decisions.

Being a leader sucked ass!

As soon as the room was cleared; Minato violently destroyed the entire wooden desk with his bare hands.

He then casted a murderous look to the trio standing in front of him.

Taking a scroll out of his pocket, he threw it towards Jiraiya angrily

**"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"** hissed Minato furiously

Jiraiya, Tsunade and Hiruzen looked at the scroll and immediately understood what was happening.

_"So he found it out, (sigh) he is smart just like his father,"_ thought Hiruzen tiredly

"I sent Naruto, and Itachi's genes and DNA, for testing, and guess what I found?" asked Minato sarcastically

"We can explain," said Tsunade worriedly

Minato was a good man, but if someone pissed him off, then it would be their last mistake. Tsunade doubted that she could block Minato's Hirashin, the man could slice her head off in an instant, if he wanted.

"This was a top secret which we had hidden for all our lives," said Jiraiya slowly

"We did it because, we were ordered to do this," said Tsunade gently

Hiruzen stepped forward, and gave a very firm gaze to Minato. Both the Hokage's shared a look, which meant a dark secret that was going to be unveiled...

"There is a reason why Naruto has the ability to control water, is a good sensor and has a powerful chakra. You are the only man in this world who is able to perform Hirashin No Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) and that is because...

* * *

**Author's Notes: Longest chapter of this story...**

**So, Naruto is older than the Rookie 12, isn't his generation interesting?**

**Now as for Mikasa and Armin, they are both characters from Attack on Titan (My favorite manga). They are one of my most favorite characters, also besides Mikasa, there is also a very interesting female in this fic, one which will have a great role in Naruto's life.**

**I have posted pictures of various characters of this fic on my profile. Be sure to check them out.**

**I fucking had to see the entire shinobi world map, and come up with the strategy. This chapter was very hard to write.**

**I planned to end this arc by this chapter, but it will take one more chapter (I think). The plot has developed in this chapter.**

**Now this is just a little complaint of mine, I really get annoyed by those readers, who don't even give one review. All of you guys are like freeloaders, and one thing I'll make it clear, I write this story for myself and for those good souls, that motivate me to keep writing. As far as I care, you guys can fuck off.**

**This is also one of the minor reasons, that I give cliffhangers. If readers piss me off, then I'll gladly return the favor. Is it so hard to write 5 good words?**

**Anyways, I have noticed many good authors are leaving , and stories are ending up as incomplete.**

**And worst of all those readers, that never supported the author while he was writing, send him hateful Pm's and reviews.**

**We don't get paid to write these stories like Kishi or Kubo, we write because its just a hobby. We fucking have our own real life to handle too, and are not anyone's slaves who have to update compulsorily.**

**So support authors as best as you can, if you want to enjoy and continue reading your favorite stories.**

**Now I'm a little angry at some authors like KingKakashi, and a few others. Why?**

**They rant about the manga and completely bash Kishi and his work. I'm not a big fan of Kishi, but I respect him as a writer. It is his series that I'm writing in my own way.**

**I know manga has not been up to expectations lately, but these authors act so high and mighty, just because they are famous on this site, and have a good fav/follow/reviews, they think they can write the manga better. Their main complaint is Hinata does not get much screen time, Idiots!**

**She is a fucking side kick, if Sakura who is the main heroine does not get much screen time, then how can Hinata get screen time?**

**This is just a humble suggestion to all my readers and wannabe writers, don't get your ego too high like these idiots. You may be a very good writer, and your readers may love your story more than the original writer's, but give a little respect to the writer.**

**Sure, you can bash once or twice, but don't claim you can write someone's story, better than him because, frankly you can never do that.**

**Everyone has different ideas, and innovations.**

**I am also updating my other story "The Sharingan Devil" today, so its a double edition. Enjoy!**

**Please Review**


	12. The Long Awaited Goodbye

**Well, how's it going...**

**So this is the last chapter of this arc, basically this entire arc was about what happened different from Cannon (Honestly, I changed the entire Cannon XD), Minato's acts, his marriage, Naruto and Itachi, the bonds and yatta yatta..**

**Kushina was a major twist in the story...**

**I have been asked many times; that whether Naruto will activate the sharingan. I haven't decided yet totally, but those of you who know me and my writing style, you know I can do something really unique.**

**Some readers want to see the war, but be patient I have to give proper development first; if you so badly want to read action, try reading my other fic "The Sharingan Devil", it has a lot of awesome action.**

**Just one question, do you guys think this story is good and unique? If so, then how?**

**I would really like to know your thoughts..**

**Now enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**The Long Awaited Goodbye**

* * *

"There is a reason, why Naruto has the ability to control water, has powerful chakra and sensor skills; On the other hand you are the only person in the world who can perform the Hirashin, it is because..." said Hiruzen but was cut off.

"I am the son of Tobirama Senju," said Minato calmly, but his voice showed he was a little irritated too.

"Yes, you are Tobirama-ojisan's only son, and a part of the Senju clan. Well what's left of it anyway," said Tsunade sadly

The Senju clan had fought valiantly in three wars and had protected Konoha, but in doing so all of them sacrificed their lives; even the Uchiha were reduced to very few active members.

The other villages had specifically targeted the shinobi of these clans, because they knew if the founding clans of Konoha were wiped out; then it would be easier to destroy Konoha.

"Why was I never told about this?" asked Minato sternly, he gave a harsh look to all of them.

"It is because this was your mother's dying wish," said Jiraiya seriously

"My mother?" asked Minato in shock,

"Of course Baka, where do you think you got those looks from," said Jiraiya bemusedly

"Jiraiya...this is not the time," said Tsunade sternly

Jiraiya chuckled a little in embarrassment while Hiruzen and Tsunade smacked their foreheads.

"What was her name?" asked Minato sadly, to never know anything about your mother was a fortune he didn't wish anyone to have.

Tsunade came forward and put a hand on the young man's shoulders, he was her family after all.

"Her name was Toka Senju, she was a kind hearted woman, quite opposite to your father. She was pregnant during the last days of the first great ninja war, unfortunately your father sacrificed his life to save his team," said Tsunade sadly

She was just a kid back then, but she could never forget her uncle and aunt; Tobirama was a strict man but he did love her deeply, and Toka looked after her as if she was her own daughter.

"What happened to her?" asked Minato quietly

"There were complications during your birth, and she was left with two choices. Either give birth to you and die in the process; or save herself. She choose to save you at the cost of her own life," said Tsunade gently

A lone tear slipped from Minato's eyes, to think his mother sacrificed herself for him, made him feel more sad and helpless.

"She was a good thinker, and she knew your father had made many enemies; even some in the village itself. Unlike you, your father was not popular among the Uchiha; she feared for your safety. The Senju and Uchiha have always been on thin ice, since the founding of this village. After your father's death, there were very less powerful Senju left, also there was a risk of another war happening, so she asked us to keep your identity a secret. She didn't care that you would not be known as Senju, she only wanted you to live and have a happy life," explained Tsunade gently

"Why? Why save me, she could have lived? She could have had another chance at life?" asked Minato sadly.

He felt responsible for her death, if only he had died, his mother would have been alive and lived a happy life.

"Its not your fault, women are strange beings, they love us men despite all our faults and mistakes. They are the reason we exist, and your mother was a person who won't hesitate to sacrifice her life for the son whom she loved more than anything," explained Jiraiya kindly

"You know, Naruto's personality is similar to Toka-sama, kind and gentle, but strong willed too," said Tsunade with a chuckle

Minato's heart eased a little after hearing that, maybe one day he could meet his mother, and thank her for everything she did for him.

"The Namikaze were a small family, and when I discussed this with your foster parents, they agreed readily and kept it a secret until they died. But they did love you as if you were their own," explained Hiruzen seriously.

Minato gave a nod but there was still some questions which he wanted to ask.

"Tsunade-sama, does anyone else apart from you three, know about this?" asked Minato seriously.

The trio immediately bit their lips, besides them there was still one person who knew the entire truth.

"There is one other person who knows this truth," said Hiruzen darkly.

"Who is it?" asked Minato firmly.

"Orochimaru"

* * *

(With Naruto)

Naruto and Mikasa walked silently through the alleys of Konoha. Both were walking closely to each other, but there seemed to be no verbal communication between them.

Naruto was feeling a little annoyed, this girl was very quiet. She never spoke anything to him, and only talked when he asked for directions.

He was not a spoiled brat and had behaved with her in a very good way; then why was she ignoring him completely?

"You must be thinking why I'm ignoring you?" asked Mikasa calmly

Naruto was quite surprised that she was able to read his thoughts so easily. Mikasa just gave him an understanding look.

"I generally don't talk to strangers, No offense," said Mikasa curtly

"Why is that?" asked Naruto curiously

"We live in a devious world, everyone wants something from you. There is always a catch, and if you want to survive the only one you can trust is yourself. Its not just shinobi who lie, and steal; but other normal people also do that knowingly or unknowingly. You always have to watch your back when you don't have family and friends to protect you," explained Mikasa briefly.

"I won't say I understand how you feel, because I grew up with a family. But I don't have any friends," said Naruto sadly.

Mikasa got curious after hearing that, Naruto was the son of the Hokage, and he could practically be friends with anyone he liked. Most kids would love to be friends with someone like him.

"Why is that?" asked Mikasa curiously.

"Everyone person of my age wants to be my friend, because I'm the son of the Hokage. They only are interested in me; because I'm the heir of the Namikaze clan. The only see me as Naruto Namikaze, and not as a person, it is better to have no friends at all; rather than having ones who are only interested in your fame and power," explained Naruto briefly

Mikasa gave a sad look to Naruto, it seemed everything was not so good even for him. But that was life, one which was full of hardships and loneliness.

"I see," said Mikasa softly

"Is Armin your good friend?" asked Naruto gently

"Yes, he is the only family I have got left. He is my best friend," said Mikasa a little happily.

"You both are lucky to have each other as friends," said Naruto sadly

Mikasa didn't know what overtook her, but she edged a little closer to Naruto and gently grasped his hand.

"If you would like we can be your friends?...I understand if you don't want to..." said Mikasa hesitantly but was cut off

Mikasa was quite shocked when she was enveloped tightly in a bear hug by Naruto; he seemed to be thanking her over and over again.

Naruto was feeling a lot more happy, all his life he had been with his family. He had met a few other clan kids, but most were only interested in politics, and the influence which Naruto had due to being the Hokage's son.

As such he never had any true friends, but in this past hour which he had spent with Mikasa, made him feel happy.

She was never interested in his clan, but talked to him like a normal person; she didn't care that he was the Hokage's son and had even thrashed him against a wall; when he mentioned he wanted to take her friend into blacklight.

Her emotions were real, she looked stoic but there was a person in her. Maybe this was what it felt when you made your first friend...

Meanwhile Mikasa was surprised, all the assumptions she had made about Naruto were false. He was calm, understanding and treated her with respect; even if she was just a orphan whom nobody knew.

This feeling of happiness...she had not experienced this, since that incident and after she met Armin.

Would this friendship even work? Would the Hokage or the villagers even accept this?

"I would like to be your friend," said Naruto happily

Mikasa just put a hand on his back, she really didn't know what to do; she didn't want to be rude to him; but at the same time she really was not happy with this sudden physical contact.

Naruto sensed her discomfort and immediately broke the hug, he gave her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away...its just you are the first friend I have made in my life," said Naruto honestly

Mikasa wanted to warn him, but somehow she couldn't muster enough courage to tell that to his face.

"Its ok..but please don't do it again," said Mikasa seriously

"Hai" said Naruto honestly

_"Get your shit in line, BAKA!"_ thought Naruto embarrassingly, he really was feeling a little ashamed of his sudden action; but it did feel good.

''Armin, should be here somewhere," said Mikasa thoughtfully

Both of them then suddenly heard voices coming from a corner in the alley, the pair nodded and went towards the source of the voice.

"Look, what he's got," said a fat boy,

"An old hat, a cry baby like you shouldn't have this," said another boy,

"Come on, be good and hand it over to us," said another thin boy,

Naruto and Mikasa saw a brown haired boy, surrounded by three other boys. He was holding a small hat in his hand, and it seemed that the others were bullying him.

"This belongs to my Jiji, I won't give it you," said the brown haired boy fiercely

"Then take this," said the leader of the bullies, and gave a hard punch to he brown haired boy.

The punch connected with the brown haired boy's face and sent him crashing on the ground. Naruto's anger increased after seeing that, he had to stop this.

**"Hey you, idiots!"** yelled Naruto angrily

He then rushed towards the bullies, his fist were tightened and were ready to attack the bullies' but before he could hit the bullies a blur passed beside him.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock when he saw it was none other than Mikasa.

The bullies eyes widened when they saw Mikasa approaching them, Naruto watched in amazement as Mikasa crushed the bullies.

They were no match for her, she gracefully subdued all of them, after they were defeated she stood in front of them; and gave them a murderous look.

"If I ever find any one of you near Armin, I will kill you," said Mikasa dangerously

"Hai, Mikasa" said the leader

All the bullies had bruised faces, their clothes were torn from various places.

_"Remind me, never to piss her off,"_ thought Naruto with a chuckle

He then remembered that they had come to find Armin, and it seemed that the brown haired boy was him.

"Are you alright?" asked Naruto worriedly

He then offered his hand to the boy, the brown haired boy gave a thankful nod and got up with Naruto's support.

"Thank you," said the brown haired boy,

The boy's eyes widened in shock, when he realized who had helped him.

"You're Naruto Namikaze?" asked the brown haired boy,

"Yeah, are you by any chance...Armin Arlert?" asked Naruto sheepishly

"I am Armin, but what are you doing here?" asked Armin in shock

"He has come to give you a message directly from Hokage-sama," said Mikasa seriously

Armin and Naruto looked at her, all the bullies had already ran off and now she was resting calmly with her hands folded, with the support of the wall.

Naruto then took out the chit, and handed it over to Armin, who took it eagerly. It seemed as if Armin really had trouble controlling his nerves, as Naruto saw Armin's hands were trembling as he started reading the chit.

"Is this really true?" asked Armin in shock,

"Yes, and we have to report back to the Hokage with our answer in two weeks," said Mikasa seriously

Armin looked at Naruto and gave him a calculative gaze.

"By the looks of it, if we are asked to join, then since you belong from two powerful clans; then you must also have some special ability. You have been asked to join, am I right?" asked Armin sharply

_"So he has got the brains,"_ thought Naruto calculatively

"Yes, I have already agreed to this, in order to protect this village," said Naruto firmly

"I cannot join, I'm sorry," said Armin sadly

Naruto was quite surprised with this answer, but somehow he knew Armin would say this.

"Why? Are you afraid or you don't care as to what happens to this village or our country?" asked Naruto bitterly

"Don't tell me that, my parents and grandparents died in the line of duty. But what did they get in return?" asked Armin angrily

"What?" asked Naruto in shock, he didn't know that Armin's family was killed in action.

"They died protecting this village, and all they got was their names carved on the memorial stone. I grew up without the love of a family, in an orphanage, you don't know how that feels, how much it hurts. They all were foolish people," said Armin bitterly

He was quite surprised when Naruto grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt.

"Don't you ever say that. I cannot understand your pain, but I won't stand you insulting all the people who died for this village. It is because of your parents, grandparents that you and I can live peacefully, calling them foolish is insulting their sacrifice and I won't let you do that. I am sorry, your life was hard but they gave their today so that you can have a tomorrow," explained Naruto dangerously

"But...they left me all alone," said Armin sadly, a few tears had already came in his eyes.

"You are not alone, you have Mikasa and now you have me. I won't abandon you," said Naruto honestly

"Why? I am just a nobody," asked Armin curiously

"You are Armin Arlert, and from now on you are my friend. You are not a nobody anymore," said Naruto with a smile

Armin's eyes watered on hearing that, he felt truly happy when he heard those words.

Suddenly all three of them heard noises coming from the main street, the noises were getting louder with each passing second.

"We should check out whats going on out there,'' suggested Mikasa quickly

"Hai" said both the boys in unison

The trio arrived ran towards the main street for a few moments, when they reached there they saw there were a lot of people there.

There were many shinobi in their uniforms, and it looked as if they were going somewhere, there were a few families who were crying, and some kids were clinging to their parents.

"What is going on?" asked Mikasa respectfully

An old man looked at her, and answered in a sad voice.

"The shinobi are moving towards the front lines, they are leaving today to fight this war. Many of them won't make it back," said the old man sadly

"It is very early..." said Armin in shock.

_"So it has already begun,"_ thought Naruto gloomily

"Please father, don't go. I want to spend time with you," said a small raven haired girl

A middle aged man, bent down and embraced the little girl warmly; there were a few tears in his eyes that were damping his Jounin vest.

"Its alright Nanao-chan, your dad will come back in just a short time. When I come back I'll bring a lot of gifts for you," said the Jounin gently

"You promise? Please don't go away like Kaa-chan," said the little girl named Nanao sadly.

"I promise," said the Jounin sadly

Naruto's fist clenched tightly and he suddenly started walking away from the crowd. Mikasa and Armin immediately went after him.

"Oi...Naruto, where are you going?" asked Armin quickly

"Its all because of the enemy...if we destroy them we can protect our people and our village," said Naruto angrily

Naruto then smashed his hands with a nearby wall, and Mikasa and Armin's eyes widened in shock when they saw many cracks appearing in the wall.

_"So he has some physical strength,"_ thought Mikasa curiously

"What are you going to do?" asked Armin softly

"Armin, Mikasa...I am going in blacklight. I'll gain the power to fight the enemy...**and I will destroy each and every one of them,**" said Naruto murderously

Armin and Mikasa took a step back in fear, when they felt the increase in Naruto's power. They were finding it more difficult to breathe, Naruto's power was immense and the look in his eyes showed he was ready to kill.

Before they could answer Naruto quickly ran off, without saying a word,

Armin wanted to follow him, but Mikasa put a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a firm look.

Both of them looked at each other and knew they had a decision to make.

One that would change their lives forever,

* * *

Minato Namikaze stood in front of the gate of his house, a lot of things were running through his mind. His entire life had changed today, and he didn't know what that meant for him and his family.

But one thing was certain, he would always be a Namikaze, his mother Toka Senju wished him to live a good life; and he had fulfilled her wish. Also his foster parents had taken good care of him, so he would always be a Namikaze no matter what.

He didn't want to tell his family the truth yet, there were too many problems going on. He felt Mikoto's presence in the house and his younger son Itachi's too.

_"I guess she was not able to find Naruto,"_ thought Minato tiredly

He then slowly opened the gate and entered his house, as soon as he entered the front door, he saw Mikoto sitting on the couch, and she was giving him a firm gaze.

Even her sharingan was active and was glaring at him dangerously.

**"We need to talk,"**

* * *

Naruto was running quickly towards the eastern side of the village. There was only one place where he wanted to go right now.

Entering the gates of the Uchiha compound, he quickly made his way towards Kagami's house.

There was only one person besides his mother, with whom he could share everything. He and his father, were not very close and this person had supported him during his childhood.

After a few moments of running, he reached towards, he reached his grandfather's house. Opening the door of the house, he saw the person he wanted to meet.

Shisui Uchiha sat in front of him with a calm look on his face.

"Good to see you, Naruto-kun," said Shisui with a kind smile.

"Oji-san, I need to talk with you," said Naruto slowly

"Of course, have a seat. I'll bring some water for you, after that you can tell me what is troubling you, okay?" asked Shisui gently

"Thank you," said Naruto gratefully

If there was anyone after his mother, who understood him perfectly, then it was his uncle. Shisui had always been kind and gentle to both him and Itachi.

He acted more like a big brother to both the brothers, and Naruto knew if he needed any help, he could always count on Shisui; and right now his thoughts were conflicted.

On one hand he knew, his mother and family did not want him to go in blacklight, on the other hand he wanted to go and protect his country.

He didn't want to break his mother' heart, she meant everything to him; but at the same time he also didn't want to sit back and do nothing but watch.

Shisui came back after a few moments, and offered Naruto a glass of water. Naruto gave a thankful nod, and drank it.

"So, what is troubling you?" asked Shisui calmly

"You see..."

(30 Minutes later)

"So its like that, huh?" asked Shisui patiently

"Hai," said Naruto slowly

"Naruto, as you are right now; you are not fit to be on the frontline, much less be in blacklight" said Shisui honsetly

"That is why I-'' said Naruto in protest but was cut off

"And despite this, you still want to go and fight?" asked Shisui seriously

"Yes, I do," said Naruto firmly

Shisui looked at his nephew seriously, the boy had enormous power and if what he had seen and heard; during the council meeting was true then...maybe it was for the best.

"That's fine then," said Shisui with a smile

"Huh?" said Naruto in shock.

"You still don't know anything about your power...but there is still a way for you to fight," said Shisui patiently

"But, what about Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto curiously

"Always remember this Naruto...it doesn't matter what people say you should be, but what's important is what you want to be," said Shisui sagely

"Oji-san..." said Naruto in awe, his uncle really knew how to guide him.

"Well...I haven't taught you anything much in your life...If you like I can teach you something, you know? It will help you fight and protect yourself and your comrades," said Shisui happily

"Really?" asked Naruto eagerly

"Hai..." said Shisui with a smile

"Then what are we waiting for," said Naruto happily

Shisui chuckled on hearing Naruto's excited voice, it was time for him to teach his nephew, and contribute his part in making him a true shinobi.

Both uncle and nephew walked towards the training ground of their house, Shisui was thinking about all the possible things he could teach Naruto, and what could be best for him.

Meanwhile Naruto, was very excited, his uncle was finally going to teach him.

He knew Shisui was known as the best teleporter in their village after his father, people had even given him a nickname of "shunshin no shisui", he also excelled in ninjutsu and shurikenjutsu.

And his sharingan was said to be the strongest in the Uchiha clan.

"So what are you going to teach me?" asked Naruto curiously

"How much time is left before you are shipped out?" asked Shisui seriously

"2 weeks, after that I have to leave." said Naruto sincerely

"Have Nee-chan, and Minato-sama taught you anything?" asked Shisui curiously

"Yes, they have already taught me the tree walking and water walking chakra control exercise, I know the entire theory about chakra too." explained Naruto briefly

"That's very good, it will make it easier for me to teach you ninjutsu," said Shisui firmly

He then took out a small paper from his hand, and handed it to Naruto.

"What is this, oji-san?" asked Naruto curiously

"This is a chakra paper. But before I tell you any further tell me what are the five basic types of elements; and its applications for ninjutsu?" asked Shisui seriously

"There are five basic types into which the nature of chakra can be transformed, called the Five elements Nature Transformation ( Godai Seishitsu Henka). These five types are also called elements and are not only the origin of the names of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, but also the foundation of all elemental ninjutsu. The five basic natures are all connected to each other in a circle, each being weaker than one and stronger than the other. They are Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Lightning." explained Naruto briefly

"Very accurate, Every person has chakra that has an affinity towards one of these types, a characteristic that seems to be genetic, since whole clans sometimes share the same affinity. Most members of the Senju Clan, for example, had an affinity towards the earth and water nature. They were one of the most skilled earth and water manipulators in the world, the most skilled being the Nidaime Hokage , who was said to be the most powerful water user of his time, he could convert the moisture in the surrounding environment and create water." explained Shisui briefly

"What affinity does the Uchiha clan have?" asked Naruto curiously

"We excel in fire ninjutsu, we are the best fire style user in the shinobi world," said Shisui proudly

"So since Kaa-chan is an Uchiha, does it mean I can have fire chakra nature too?" asked Naruto curiously

"Maybe, let's find out. Channel your chakra into that paper, If your affinity is fire it will burn, if your affinity is water it get wet/damp, if your affinity is earth it will crumble, if your affinity is wind it will be sliced and if your affinity is lightning it will wrinkle." explained Shisui briefly

Naruto nodded and channeled his chakra into the paper, and what happened next shocked Shisui.

The entire paper got so wet, that it disintegrated into small wet pieces. Shisui activated his sharingan, and saw there was so much water chakra in the paper, that its entire molecular form was disturbed; but he also saw some pieces crumble to dust, while some burned away.

_'Impossible,..."_ thought Shisui in shock

He couldn't belive what he had just seen, such high affinity for water was not seen in any shinobi of Konoha, after the Nidaime Hokage. More than that, Naruto did possess affinity for earth and fire too.

But water was his primary affinity, and its power was unbelievable.

"Uh...Oji-san...what does this mean?" asked Naruto curiously

It took Shisui a few more seconds to get over his shock, he then looked at Naruto with a suspicious look.

There was only one clan in the entire world, that inherited such natural talent in water style, and they were the Senju. Shisui had thought that, since Mikoto was Naruto's mother, he would have fire as his strongest chakra, but it was the opposite,

He still had fire as his affinity, but water was more stronger as his chakra nature, not to mention earth.

"You have three affinites...with water being your strongest, followed by earth and fire respectively," said Shisui patiently

"That is amazing, isn't it?" asked Naruto happily

"Yeah it is," said Shisui with a small smile, but something was wrong and he decided to find out about it later.

"So it means, it is better if I learned water style ninjutsu?" asked Naruto curiously

"Yes, it is..but judging from your chakra levels and stamina; you will only be able to learn small techniques at first," explained Shisui briefly

"So, do you know any water ninjutsu?" asked Naruto quickly

"I don't have an affinity for water, but I do know one water ninjutsu, which you are fit to learn now," said Shisui sharply

"What is it?" asked Naruto eagerly

"It is called Mizu Bushin No Jutsu, it creates clones out of water that have one-tenth of the original person's power. Like other solid clone techniques, the clones can be used to perform tasks the user is unable or unwilling to do for themselves. The range of the clone is limited however, as it can not travel very far from the original body without losing control. Like other clone techniques, if the water clones are injured enough they will revert back to normal water. Now normally this technique requires a source of water," explained Shisui briefly

He then led Naruto towards the lake of his house, and pointed Naruto to stand on the water. He watched in surprise, as Naruto effortlessly stood on the water, he watched closely with his sharingan and saw that Naruto was using very little chakra to stand on the water.

The boy's water talent was amazing.

"This is a C-rank ninjutsu, and it can be performed by the tiger seal. Watch carefully," said Shisui seriously

He then made the ram hand seal, and 2 identical clones rose from the water, and stood in front of Naruto.

"Now you try, but use only a limited amount of your chakra. Don't over do it," warned Shisui

Naruto had watched his uncle perform the ninjutsu, and with his sensor skills he had gathered information about the right amount of chakra that had to be molded.

He made the tiger hand seal, and put the right amount of chakra.

Shisui's eyes widened in shock, when 20 water clones of Naruto rose from the lake, and now stood in front of him with a smirk on their faces.

"Baka, I told you not to overdo it," said Shisui irritatingly

"But I didn't use all my chakra," said Naruto in protest

_"What? Is this his power? Its amazing"_ thought Shisui in shock

"So did I do it right?" asked Naruto again

"Yes, this justu was easy, but it is very difficult to perform when you don't have a water source nearby. But with time I think, you'll have the ability to do this jutsu in any place," explained Shisui.

"Oji-san, I want to learn the Fireball Jutsu, which I have seen Kaa-chan do many times. She said an Uchiha isn't complete, before he learns that jutsu. Before I go to war, I want to become a true Uchiha too," requested Naruto.

Shisui was happy to hear that, he was glad Naruto was giving importance to the Uchiha clan's rituals too.

"Alright then, now the jutsu that you want to learn is called Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu). It is one of the prized jutsu of the Uchiha clan and is a C-rank offensive ninjutsu, in this technique chakra moldeded inside the body is converted into fire, and expelled from the mouth either as a massive ball of flames or as a continuous flame-thrower. The scope of the attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The released flames will engulf their target, and leave a crater on the ground's surface." explained Shisui seriously

"Can you show me, how its done?" asked Naruto

Shisui nodded and stepped in front of the lake, Naruto and his water clones stepped aside, but what he did next surprised Shisui.

"I want half of you to watch the hand seals, while the rest of you will try to find out the correct amount of chakra needed to be molded for the attack," ordered Naruto firmly

"Hai" said the water clones

_"So he is using his clones to gather information. Water clones cannot pass information after they are dispelled, so while they are active he wants them to observe my jutsu and report it to him. In this way, he can watch and analyze the jutsu with the help of 20 minds, which will help him in at least understanding the dynamics of the Jutsu better. Ingenious,"_ thought Shisui proudly

The real Naruto put his hand on the water surface and closed his eyes.

Shisui saw the water clones nodded, and gave the signal to perform the jutsu.

He quickly performed a set of hand seals.

**"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)"**

Naruto's water clones watched as Shisui formed a perfect fireball, which was about the size of a huge rock and blew it over the lake. The water beneath the fireball evaporated due to the heat.

_"So, this is the secret behind this Jutsu,"_ thought Naruto with a smirk; as he sensed Shisui had molded chakra in his lungs.

Shisui stopped the jutsu, and he watched as Naruto talked with his water clones, who told him about the hand seals, as well as what they learned about the attack.

Naruto then dispelled the clones, he felt a little tired as a part of his chakra was used, but he still had plenty of chakra left.

Shisui watched closely, and was quite surprised as Naruto performed all the hand seals correctly, even his speed was good for a first try.

Naruto took in a deep breath, and molded the right amount of chakra which he thought was required.

He felt something burn in his chest, and with great speed he opened his mouth.

**"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)"**

A fireball which was half in size in comparison to Shisui's fireball, was released from Naruto's mouth.

The attack was small but it was so powerful that more steams rose from the lake; as the fireball was burning the water.

"His attack is not perfect, but it is powerful, the fact that more water is burning due to the fireball, in comparison to my own shows his chakra is more powerful than mine. He is a prodigy, and if he keeps on practicing, he may learn this jutsu in a few weeks," thought Shisui with a smile

"That's enough for today...you did a good job," said Shisui happily

Naruto stopped his fireball, he then started panting heavily, there were also some burn marks on his lips. Shisui came forward and picked him up.

"I'm feeling tired," said Naruto sleepily

"Let's get you home," said Shisui gently

* * *

(Next Day)

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, he looked at the ceiling and found that he was in his house. The training really took a toll on him, he couldn't master the fire ninjutsu but it was a good attempt.

He felt someone sleeping beside him, and he turned around and found it was none other than his father.

He gently tapped his father's shoulder.

Minato slowly opened his eyes, and saw his elder son was awake and was now looking at him curiously,

Last night had been very rough, he and Mikoto had the biggest fight of their life; but he didn't blame her. The fact that Naruto came back home, unconscious and with a few burn marks made her more angry.

Shisui had to hear her rant for 30 minutes, while he was sent straight out of the bedroom, only god knew when she was going to calm down.

"Morning, Naruto" said Minato with a smile

"Let me guess...she's pissed," said Naruto with a chuckle

Minato chuckled a bit, and Naruto laughed too; however both of their laughters died in their throats when they heard a new voice.

"That I am," said Mikoto angrily

Naruto looked at her, she was standing at the door of the room; the fact that she had her sharingan active and had a pissed off look on her face, made him even more nervous.

_"Kami-sama hates me,"_ thought Naruto with a dry chuckle

Mikoto came forward and bonked Naruto a little hard on the head.

"You idiot, what are you thinking?" asked Mikoto angrily

"Kaa-chan..I can explain," said Naruto slowly

"How can you even think of going into blacklight? You can get killed easily," said Mikoto worriedly

She then sat in front of Naruto and looked straight into his eyes, Naruto saw anger, sadness but most of all they had a lot of worried feelings in them.

"I have to do it, yesterday I saw a Jounin hugging his daughter, maybe he won't come back alive, if we don't win this war; there would be many more crying children in this village. I can't let that happen" said Naruto passionately

He was quite shocked when Mikoto gave him a hard slap, even Minato was shocked. Mikoto had never hit either of her boys, but today she had hit Naruto.

Naruto was shocked when his mother slapped him, but he looked up and saw tears freely falling from her eyes, even her sharingan had faded away.

"Don't you ever think about how I feel? Do I mean nothing to you?" asked Mikoto sadly

Minato didn't utter a single word, she had warned him that she did not want to talk with him; and it was best if he did not speak, because he had to save their relationship, and he wanted Naruto to make a his own choice.

"That's not true, I love you more than anything," said Naruto quickly

"Then please don't go, join some regular force. I cannot watch one of my sons walk straight into the gates of hell, I can't live knowing you would be in the most dangerous missions, where your life would be at stake. You are my son, I brought you in this world, I raised you, looked after you, and stood by you everyday...I cannot live if something happens to you," said Mikoto sadly

Naruto gently hugged her, he was in a lot of emotional turmoil, what should he do?

_"Always remember this Naruto...it doesn't matter what people say you should be, but what's important is what you want to be,"_

Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered what Shisui had told him, he remembered the sad look in that little girl's eyes, he remembered the enemy was stronger and they needed an edge over them; and blacklight was that edge,

He looked at his father, the man was looking at him calmly, and was saying that whatever decision he made, he would have his full support.

He could still feel the tears falling from his mother's eyes, and the sadness in her heart.

But he knew what he had to do...

"I'm sorry, Kaa-chan...but I have made my choice," said Naruto sadly

Mikoto broke the hug, and looked at her son in shock. Did he really mean that? Did she mean nothing to him?

"I am not going to allow this...even if you are a shinobi now, you will not go," said Mikoto sternly

**"Kaa-chan.."** said Naruto dangerously

Mikoto was shocked when Naruto talked with her in such a high tone, he had never done such a thing before.

"This is who I am : A shinobi. And I will follow only one code, live for nothing or die for something. I cannot let my personal feelings get in the way, when my country's existence is at stake," said Naruto harshly

"So you are abandoning me?" asked Mikoto coldly

"No, I will never abandon you, but at the same time I must do what I think is right," said Naruto firmly

"But you will die!" yelled Mikoto angrily

"So be it, Death is our profession, I may die even in the regular forces, the future is not set in stone...but I will do my duty at all costs," said Naruto seriously

Mikoto looked at her elder son harshly, so this is what he wanted, despite her feelings, despite the dangers? She couldn't understand him at all.

"Is that your final decision, Naruto Namikaze?" asked Mikoto stoically

"Hai," said Naruto sadly

Mikoto roughly got up from the bed and made her way towards the door, but stopped at the exit. She then gave a harsh look to both the father and son.

"You are making the wrong choice, Naruto; Because hell awaits you,"

These were her final words, before she slammed the door roughly and went away, leaving Naruto and Minato alone.

* * *

(2 Weeks Later)

It was midnight in Konoha, the civilans were sleeping peacefully, while the shinobi who had stayed back were guarding the village.

Naruto slowly got up from his bed, it was time to go.

These past two weeks had been the most difficult time of his life, his mother had not talked to him once, and when Itachi had found out about his decision, even he was against it.

The only one who stood by his side was his father.

Both of them stayed in Naruto's room, as Mikoto had clearly boycotted Minato too. She didn't even glance at the two of them, it was as if they never existed.

The atmosphere in the house was very tense.

Naruto spent most of his time training with Shisui. He had learned the fireball jutsu, and had started training in Shurikenjutsu.

He was far from perfect, but he was skilled in Shurikenjutsu. Shisui had even explained to him the mechanics of the Shunshin No Jutsu, and had made him practice once.

He was still training, and had yet to learn that Jutsu.

Naruto also had met Mikasa and Armin a few times, they had become good friends, and it also helped to ease Naruto's stress a little. They still had not told him about their decision, but he hoped they would join him.

He put on his black t-shirt which had the Namikaze clan symbol on its back, he then put on his black pants and sandals.

This was it.

He slowly went out of the room, and made his way towards the gate. He didn't want to disturb his mother, so he was leaving without telling her as he did not want to cause her much pain.

Naruto was quite surprised when he saw his little brother Itachi, sitting in front of the lake.

_"What is he doing out there, at this time?"_ thought Naruto curiously.

He then went towards his brother, and slowly sat beside him.

"I'm sorry," said Itachi sadly.

"Huh?" asked Naruto in a surprised voice, why was Itachi apologizing?

"You have to go alone and I cannot come with you...I'm sorry Nii-chan," said Itachi sadly.

Naruto chuckled a little on hearing that, and ruffled his younger brother's hair, he was going to miss him a lot.

"Well as long as you stay healthy and take care of Kaa-chan...I can keep on going," said Naruto gently.

"How can you smile?" asked Itachi irritatingly.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto curiously.

"Why aren't you blaming me for leaving you alone in this war? This is too hard...if you can just blame me-" said Itachi angrily but was cut off.

"Why should I blame you?" asked Naruto sharply.

"Nii-chan..."

"If I blamed you, then I wouldn't be a good big brother...It's not your fault that I am being sent to war...Its just I don't mind fighting and dying for my family and my precious brother," said Naruto with a smile.

Itachi's eyes widened on hearing that, a few tears came in his eyes.

"And don't forget you are the future of this village...and the son of the Fourth Hokage. I leave Kaa-chan and this village to you," said Naruto seriously.

"Nii-chan.." said Itachi in shock.

Naruto gave a light bop on Itachi's head, and got up.

"OW! That hurts-'' said Itachi in discomfort.

"Live to the fullest, Itachi...Live to the fullest...age to the fullest...go bald to the fullest...and die long after I do," said Naruto gently.

He then turned around and gave one last look to his younger brother, he didn't know if he would ever see him again; both of their eyes connected and Naruto gave one last smile to Itachi.

"And if possible die with a smile on your face...otherwise I would never be able to forgive myself...and no matter what happens I will always love you," said Naruto sadly.

"I love you too, Nii-chan" yelled Itachi with tears in his eyes.

Naruto walked away leaving his brother behind, his path was difficult and he only hoped to see his brother one day again.

But one thing which he had failed to notice was, that Itachi's eyes had now turned red and had a single black tomoe in it.

He walked towards the gate and was about to step out of it, but a voice stopped him.

"So, you are leaving," said a sad voice.

Naruto looked back, and saw his mother was standing behind him; however she had her back turned towards him. It was as if she couldn't look at his face.

"Hai" said Naruto sadly.

"Naruto...if you step out of that gate..then don't ever come back," said Mikoto in a choked voice, she could barely restrain the tears that had formed up in her eyes.

Naruto looked at his mother sadly, he knew he was breaking her heart, but he wanted to look at her face one last time, he wanted to see her smile, but it would never happen.

Maybe this was his punishment for breaking her heart.

"Forgive me," said Naruto sadly.

He then slowly stepped out of the gate, leaving behind a tearful Mikoto.

* * *

(Village gates)

Naruto reached the edge of the northern gate, his escort was going to meet him 2 kilometers away from the village. From there he was going to be escorted to an unknown location, which was supposed to be blacklight base.

He was quite surprised when he saw his father, Kagami, and Shisui waiting for him.

He went towards the men and gave them one last respectful bow.

Shisui came forward and gave Naruto a blackface mask, which surprised Naruto.

"I know, you like it. It is a gift from me and Kakashi, he wanted to come but he has been sent to the front. Watch each other's backs and you'll make it back alive," said Shisui warmly.

Naruto embraced his uncle,

"Thank you," said Naruto gratefully.

Kagami then stepped forward, and took out something from his pouch.

It was a metallic forehead protector which was the same as the Nidaime Hokage, and handed it to Naruto.

"Fight with courage and honor, and bring glory to this forehead protector and your country," said Kagami firmly, and patted Naruto's shoulders.

"I promise," said Naruto honestly.

Naruto then stepped towards his father, who first of all hugged him tightly.

"No father could ever ask for a better son," said Minato proudly.

"Please take care of Kaa-chan and Itachi," said Naruto sadly.

Minato then took out a three pronged kunai from his pouch and gave it to Naruto.

"Tou-chan..is this?" asked Naruto in shock, he knew what this kunai was.

"Hai, this is my Hirashin kunai...if you are in danger just throw it nearby; and I will come to help you as soon as possible," said Minato seriously.

"Thank you..." said Naruto and gave one last look to his father, both the men shared a look and understood each other's message.

_"I love you"_

"Well this is goodbye..." said Naruto gently.

"There is someone waiting for you," said Minato with a smile.

Naruto looked back, and saw it was none other than Mikasa and Armin.

Mikasa was wearing black pants, and a grey t-shirt, her hair was tied into a short pony tail; she was looking very beautiful.

Armin was wearing a white tshirt and dark green pants, his brown hair flowing freely in the air.

"I am coming with you...it is my turn to protect this village, just like my parents and grandparents," said Armin with a smile.

"I will go too," said Mikasa calmly.

"Mikasa...you don't have to...Didn't you say survival was important?" asked Naruto in a surprised tone, he had a feeling that Armin would come but he never thought Mikasa would be joining too.

"That's right...that is why I'll go, to keep both of you from dying," said Mikasa seriously.

A wide smile came on Naruto's face, all three children looked at each other and gave one last glance towards the village.

"All right...The Three of us..." said Naruto firmly.

The trio then ran out of the gates in order to begin their journey.

But they didn't know, that hell was awaiting them...

* * *

**Author's notes : So this arc has ended.**

**The longest chapter of this story so far.**

**So Minato is a Senju, but he will be a Namikaze only, and won't adopt Senju name.**

**Tsunade didn't adopt Minato, as they wanted to keep his identity a secret, and protect him from the Uchiha. And if Tsunade had did that, then Minato's identity would be exposed.**

**Naruto's powers have become a lot more clear, and his abilities will develop slowly**

**This chapter showed development of Shisui, Armin, Mikasa as well.**

**Itachi has awakened the sharingan, due to the emotional turmoil as he watched his beloved brother leave, and due to despair he activated the sharingan.**

**Mikoto's reaction was logical in my opinion, she does not support Naruto's decison, but that does not mean she hates him. Just wait and watch.**

**Naruto's forehead protector is the same as Tobirama, and he will wear a mask like Kakashi, because it will hide his identity and it kinda looks cool too.**

**Why does Orochimaru know that Minato is a Senju? It has a mystery behind it**

**Just so you know, in this story Tobirama was 10 years younger than Hashirama. I will be listing the ages of various characters in the next chap, so please wait until then.**

**If any of you have any suggestions or doubts, or want to give ideas for this fic, feel free to Pm me. If your idea is used, I will give you the entire credit/**

**That's it for this time.**

**Please Review!**


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